PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove (9-10, 1-5 4A-1) split a pair of conference baseball games then lost 3-2 to Claremore, Okla. in the final weeks of the regular season.
On Thursday, April 11, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second and tacked on two more runs in the third. Huntsville (11-4, 1-5 4A-1) never scored as Drew Cates took command on the mound throwing a 4-hitter and striking out 11 to lead the Tigers to the shutout.
Cates was tough striking out Darius Savarro to begin the fifth on a called strike three. He got Clint Eaton to fly out to left field and remained steady although Sean McCone reached on an error. Kent Mayes reached a full count but Cates struck him out to leave the base runner stranded.
Prairie Grove went down in order to end the fifth and Cates came back strong in the sixth. Tyler Buchanan hit a fly ball that was caught in shallow center and Kaden Vanover bounced a grounder into the glove of Cates, who made the short toss to first. Cates needed only three pitches to fan Nick Garrett and end the inning.
In the home half of the sixth back-to-back singles put two men on for the Tigers. Following a strike-out, Kaine Caswell drove in a run with a single and Cates did likewise pushing Prairie Grove's lead out to 5-0.
Buchanan took the loss for Huntsville giving up 6 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings and was replaced by Tad Jones in the sixth.
Kyle Fidler (2-for-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI) drove in the last run with a single to make the final 6-0.
Sloan Smith added 2 hits for Prairie Grove.
Harrison 8, Prairie Grove 4
Four Goblins came up with 2 hits apiece as Harrison pounded Prairie Grove for 12 hits and doubled u the Tigers' score to win 8-4 on Monday, April 8.
Harrison scored 4 runs in the third to take a 5-0 lead. Five different Goblins produced RBIs, while Jadin Higgins and Cates each had a hit and an RBI for Prairie Grove.
On Friday, April 12, Prairie Grove lost to Claremore, Okla., 3-2.
Sports on 04/24/2019