Pointers limit Cyclone’s bats in win

A late rally ended a pitcher’s duel on Friday night. Chase Moore squirted a base hit over first base, scoring Jeremiah Douglas, to cap Van Buren’s 2-1 win over Russellville on a nonconference game. Moore’s single capped the late game, which was delayed two hours by a scheduling conflict, and a pitcher’s duel between Van Buren’s Trevor Johnson and Russellville’s Reed Rispoli. Johnson went the distance, needing only 76 pitches with 52 strikes. Johnson allowed two singles in the second inning and retired the final three batters of the inning to escape any damage. He gave up a lead-off single to Cole Dawson in the third inning and then retired the final 15 batters he faced, going to three balls on a batter just once. Joel Barker’s sacrifice bunt moved Dawson all the way to third base from first, and Ryan Meador’s deep sacrifice fly plated Barker as Russellville (10-9) took a 1-0 lead. Meador’s sac fly was the only hard hit in Russellville’s final 15 outs. After Dawson’s single, Johnson threw just 45 pitches. Johnson struck out six. Johnson earned the win when his Pointers scored a run in the fifth inning to tie the game before the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh. In the fifth, Douglas reached on an infield single, moved to second on a walk by Evan Jones, stole third and scored on pinch-hitter Dakota Peters’ sharp single up the middle. That was all Van Buren (15-2) mustered off Rispoli, who left with an out in the sixth inning after throwing 95 pitches. Douglas led off the home half of the seventh with a full-count walk. He took second on a passed ball. With two outs, leadoff hitter Landrey Wilkerson was walked intentionally, and Moore followed with the game-winning single. Douglas scored easily. Van Buren got hits from six spots in the order and had base runners all but the first inning. Van Buren travels to Springdale on Monday in 7A-West play before hosting Springdale on Tuesday.

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POINTERS LIMIT CYCLONE’S BATS IN WIN

LELAND BARCLAY

Times Record | 4/15/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Athletics