GENTRY — Siloam Springs didn’t execute on the mound as well as it would have liked Monday against Gentry, but at the end of the day the Panthers were just grateful to have played at all.
Siloam Springs overcame some early wildness and took advantage of a depleted Pioneers pitching staff to win, 15-2, in five innings in a high school baseball game played at Gentry High School.
The game was moved because of poor field conditions at James Butts Baseball Complex after a week of rain heading into Monday.
“It was very nice of coach (Justin Ledbetter) over here,” said Siloam Springs head coach Alan Hardcastle. “Our field was too bad to play. To get an opportunity to get some live innings, some live ABs, that helps us out a lot, especially last year when we had four to five games rained out. It’s nice to get out here and be able to play.”
Ledbetter said the Pioneers went the extra mile to get the field ready for Monday’s game.
“My kids work really hard,” Ledbetter said. “They take a lot of pride in what we have. So they don’t mind getting out here and getting after it. We pulled the tarp on and off, worked the field here and there. We don’t like rainouts. We don’t get better that way. My kids, they work hard and I’m grateful for that.”
Siloam Springs (3-3) had three base hits and took advantage of three Gentry walks and an error in the first inning to take a 5-0 lead. Chandler Cook coaxed a walk to lead off the game off Gentry starter C.J. Taylor (2-1), and Dodge Pruitt and Dawson Armstrong followed with base hits to load the bases.
Kaleb Francis lofted a fly ball to center field which was dropped, allowing two runs to score for a 2-0 lead. Chance Junkermann drove in another run with an RBI single, and he and courtesy runner Nate Free later came around to score on wild pitches.
The Panthers didn’t score again until the fourth when Kyle Comiskey reached on a fielder’s choice and Cook reached on a wild pitch after a strikeout. Comiskey later scored on a double steal and Cook came around later in the inning.
In the fifth inning, Siloam Springs scored eight runs on just two hits with six walks and three hit batsmen and one error to go up 15-2.
Gentry used three different pitchers in the fifth inning. Ledbetter said the Pioneers (4-3) were just a day removed from playing three games in a tournament at Gentry over the weekend.
“A lot of arms were not as fresh as we’d like them to be,” Ledbetter said. “We didn’t locate very early, got way behind hitters, couldn’t block anything. Kind of wore (our catcher) out there.”
Pruitt, Armstrong and Junkermann each had two hits to lead Siloam Springs at the plate. The Panthers had eight hits overall. Cook scored three runs, while Armstrong, Free and Comiskey each scored twice.
“We’re swinging the bat better you know?” Hardcastle said. “Coming into Gentry, the guys are excited. They’re starting to put things together. We’re now 3-3. We’re fighting. We’re still going up hill, but like I told them, you keep working hard and by the end of the season they’re going to like the outcome. Just keep working hard.”
On the mound, Cook struggled with his control. Though he struck out six batters in 2 2/3 innings, he also walked two and hit three batters. Junkermann (1-1) relieved Cook in the third inning and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to get the win. He gave up two hits, one walk and struck out three.
“It all starts with pitching and we didn’t throw very well tonight when we needed to,” Hardcastle said. “We hit three and walked four or five and just, it slows the game down and gets the other infielders on their heels. It just slows the game down. We come out and we want to throw strikes. We hit too many and it’s not what we want to do.”
Ayden Smartt led Gentry offensively with three hits including an RBI double in the second inning that scored Zac Adkins, who had been hit by a pitch.
Smartt singled in the fourth and later scored on a RBI double off the bat of Taylor.
Siloam Springs 15, Gentry 2
Siloam Springs 500 28 — 15 8 0 Gentry 010 10 — 2 4 3 Cook, Junkermann (3) and Francis, Rowe (7); Taylor, Shipp (2), Matthews (5), Adkins (5) and McFerron. W - Junkermann, 1-1. L - Taylor, 2-1. HRs - None.