Springdale Har-Ber defeated Rogers 6-4 in nine innings on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium in Fayetteville, advancing to the Class 6A state baseball championship game after rallying from a three-run deficit.
The Wildcats scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-1 lead, but Springdale Har-Ber answered with three in the bottom of the inning to tie it. The game remained deadlocked at 4-4 until the bottom of the ninth, when Har-Ber pushed across two runs for the final margin. The contest lasted three hours and 47 minutes.
Reese Cavitt slid safely into home plate in the seventh inning as Rogers catcher Caleb Porta attempted to apply the tag. That tied the game at 4-4 and shifted momentum in Har-Ber’s favor. The run was scored after a leadoff walk by Peyton Woodard and a double by Cavitt.
Rogers had opened the game with a strong performance at the plate, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats sent nine batters to the plate in that frame, capitalizing on two walks and a pair of Har-Ber errors to build an early advantage.
Har-Ber’s pitching change sparks turnaround
After allowing three runs in the first, Har-Ber starter Jackson Helms settled down and pitched four scoreless innings. Coach Dustin Helmkamp then turned to reliever Trey Norville in the sixth, who struck out three of the four batters he faced across two innings.
“We knew we had to make some adjustments,” Helmkamp said postgame as he congratulated each of his players near the dugout. “The kids never quit. They kept fighting, and that’s what champions do.”
Har-Ber’s offense came alive in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Woodard singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cavitt followed with a double to left-center to tie the game. The go-ahead run came in on a sacrifice fly by Cade Thompson.
Rogers threatened in the top of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with one out. Norville induced a groundout to shortstop and then struck out the final batter to end the game.
The win sends Springdale Har-Ber to the Class 6A championship game, where they will face either Bentonville or Fayetteville High School. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
