Greyhounds edge Wolves, now headed to Fayetteville for 3A state baseball championship

Pitcher Trent Smith throws to first baseman Kyle Huckabay to complete a 1-3 play for the first out of the game against Lincoln Monday afternoon. [Click to enlarge]

In the three games which Marmaduke played in the 3A State Tournament in Searcy, the Greyhounds showed three different styles of winning. Friday they had to come from behind in extra innings to win, 4-3, over Pea Ridge. Saturday, they had a hitting circus as they blasted Mayflower, 18-2.

Then Monday, in their semifinal game against Lincoln, they took an early lead which they never relinquished, but which they had to defend with every fiber, winning 5-4. With that win, the Hounds punched their ticket for Fayetteville and the Razorbacks' Baum Stadium where they will face Harding Academy in the 3A state championship game.

"Both teams played hard," said coach Larry Willis amid the excitement following the game. "We made some errors, but worked out of them."

Both teams, in fact, had more than enough errors to suit the two head coaches.

After both teams went three in and three out, the Greyhounds got their first two runs of the game when, first Dex Jordan doubled into right field. The right fielder, Patrick Rich, misjudged the ball on the catch, then when he threw it to second to try to cut off Jordan there, the ball sailed past the shortstop. Seeing he could get another base, Jordan headed to third, then to home once it was clear the Wolves wouldn't recover in time to make the play.

In much the same fashion, pitcher Trent Smith went to first when Lincoln's Seth Pitts mishandled the ball at third. Smith then stole second and moments later, while trying to steal third, catcher Jason Rich overthrew Pitts, the ball sailing into left field and Smith sailing home for a 2-0 lead. The top of the inning ended three batters later, but the Hounds had a lead they would never relinquish.

The bottom of the second gave the Marmaduke faithful one of their most uncomfortable moments, though. With no outs, the Wolves loaded the bases with a single, an error and a hit by pitcher.

"In high school baseball you fold most of the time when you get in a situation like that," said Willis about the inning. "Trent could have folded, but he didn't and he gave us a huge lift."

What Smith did to give his team that lift was, with runners surrounding him, to register three straight Ks.

"He's just a great athlete," continued Willis. "He broke his foot in basketball and missed half of the season, but in the last half, he was 6-1."

While the Hounds were riding high after averting the possible disaster, they couldn't immediately cash in on the surge of emotions, only four batters coming to the plate in the top of the third. Lincoln could do no better, though, as they flied out to Smith, Andrew Dulaney in left field and Zach Carter in center field.

In the top of the fourth, once again only four batters got to hit with Smith getting the farthest when he singled, then got to second on a throwing error. Nothing came of the play and the Wolves went back on offense.

Justin Carr made the Lincoln faithful come out of their seats when he doubled to center field. He then went to third on a 4-3 fielder's choice. Two batters later after a strikeout and a Patrick Rich single and steal, Jason Rich knocked Carr in for the score. The inning ended when Jason Rich was tagged at second.

Now leading by just one, the Hounds tried to push the lead back out, but once again four batters resulted in no runs.

If the double Carr hit to open the bottom of the fourth inning had the Lincoln fans coming out of their seats, the triple Korey Ayers smashed between center and right fields nearly had the Wolf contingent howling. Smith tried to stop the threat as he struck out the next batter, Cody Smith, ironically, the Wolves' pitcher.

Pitts, the next batter up, put a single into center, scoring Ayers for the 2-all tie. Pitts himself got as far as third before the inning ended with a fly-out and strike-out.

The Greyhound fans finally had a chance to cheer for the first time since the second inning when, in the top of the sixth, catcher Jacob Mason doubled between left and center. Jordan then was put on first with a walk, sending Smith to the plate. He proceeded to triple into deep right-center, scoring both of his teammates. Smith then went home two batters later when second baseman Dane Barnum singled into short right. The top of the inning ended when Dulaney hit into a 4-3 play.

The score by Smith was the last for Marmaduke and it was then up to the defense to beat the Wolves from the door. They were only partially successful.

Lincoln scored twice in the inning to close the gap to one, 5-4, to bring up the final inning. Marmaduke, back to the top of the order, nevertheless went down 1-2-3, giving Lincoln their last chance.

Pitts came up first and hit into a 5-3 play for out number one. Next, Carr sent a fly ball into deep center, which Carter calmly settled under for out number two. Then Smith, doing what he does best, fanned power-hitter Tyler Horton and suddenly the Hounds were one of only two 3A teams left playing in the state.

"We thought it would be close," said Willis. "We had been playing good and I knew they had been playing good also. I told the kids to get to this point you have to play hard, be pretty good and be very lucky. We were all three, I guess."

Smith finished the game 3 for 3 at the plate, scoring two runs, stealing two bases and knocking in two runs. On the mound he gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven. Taylor went 2 for 4, while Jordan, Barnum and Dustin Ellis were 1 for 3 each. Jordan also scored twice and hit a double, while Barnum had an RBI. Mason closed out the hitting, going 1 for 4 with a run scored and hitting a double.