After splitting four games over spring break in tournament play at Gulf Shores, Alabama, the Greenwood Bulldogs baseball team returned to 5A West conference play this past Tuesday at home against the Van Buren Pointers. Prior to their Alabama trip the Diamond ‘Dogs opened league play with a doubleheader split at Russellville. They will travel to Northwest Arkansas on Friday for a non-conference tilt with Class 6A Springdale. Next Tuesday they face league foe Vilonia, also on the road.
Head Coach Chad Mercado and his team have played a tough schedule early in the 2022 season, posting a 4-9 overall record and 1-3 in league play. Four of their losses have been to much larger Class 6A schools and two others were to out-of-state squads at Gulf Shores. In only his second full season at the helm, Coach Mercado wants his players battle tested in non-conference action before the rigors of the conference schedule, also preparing them for possible postseason play.
“We scheduled tough opponents like that intentionally,” said the coach. “With only a handful of games before conference play, our goal is to compete against the best we can find so we can be prepared on Tuesday nights (league doubleheaders). With several young guys in the lineup this year, blending them with our basketball guys, as well as our more established seniors, we want them to see challenging hitters and pitchers, so it becomes something they're accustomed to. Our goals are always the same, so whatever it takes to get there, we're going to be ready and willing for that challenge.”
Russellville
On the Tuesday before spring break the Bulldogs traveled to Pope County to open 5A West conference play against the Cyclones, splitting their two games. Greenwood lost the opener, 3-0, before rebounding to take game two, 4-2. Their victory in the nightcap snapped a four-game losing skid that included losses to Springdale, Fort Smith Southside, and Fayetteville.
In game one, the Cyclones’ starting hurler was almost untouchable, tossing a one-hit complete game gem on just 70 pitches. The Bulldogs had only four baserunners in the contest, but only one hit by Braden Skaggs. Another runner reached on an error and two others were hit by pitches. Greenwood hitters fanned eight times and received zero walks, but did swipe a pair of bases.
Junior hurler Aiden Kennon started the game for the Bulldogs and pitched well, going four innings, yielding two hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts and three walks. He was followed to the mound by senior Jay Wright, who gave up four hits and a run in two frames of work. But despite his strong effort, Kennon took the loss for Greenwood.
Good pitching continued for both teams into game two, with Bulldogs’ sophomore Austin Mitchell going the distance in a seven-inning victory on 111 pitches, 70 of them for strikes, including 12 strikeouts. The GHS hurler issued just three walks and gave up five hits. Only one of Russellville’s two runs were earned. The Cyclones employed two pitchers who also combined to limit Greenwood to just five hits, though they issued six walks and hit a batter. Three Russellville errors meant that all four Bulldogs’ runs were unearned.
At the plate, the Diamond ‘Dogs got a pair of singles from senior Bryce Morgan, who was also plunked by a pitch. Senior Luke Brewer and juniors Dawson Holt and Harrison Adams all had solo hits with Holt getting credit for two RBIs. Braden Skaggs, who walked twice, also scored two runs. Likewise, junior Weston Pschier walked twice and scored once. Adams (2), Skaggs, and Jay Wright combined to steal four bases. Wright also scored.
Gulf Shores tournament
Less than a week later, Coach Mercado and his staff took the Diamond ‘Dogs to Alabama for a spring break tournament, playing four games in three days, going 2-2 overall. The event was held on consecutive days, March 21-23, with Greenwood playing two games the first day, and the two contests could not have been more dissimilar. The Bulldogs pounded out 20 hits and scored 19 runs in their tournament opener, but then were shutout in game two the same day.
Game #1: Greenwood defeated the Normal (IL) Community Ironmen, 19-5, scoring on all five pitchers they faced. Six of the Bulldogs’ runs were unearned due to three defensive errors by the Ironmen. The Diamond ‘Dogs also received seven base-on-balls and had one hit batsman while combining to swipe eight bases, two each by Austin Mitchell and Harrison Adams.
The GHS hitting stars were numerous, with seven Bulldogs getting two hits or more, lead by Bryce Morgan’s 4-for-5 performance, including two singles, a double, a homerun, and two RBIs while scoring two runs. Harrison Adams added three hits on two singles and a double, scoring once. Jay Wright, Weston Pschier, freshman Grant Karnes, and sophomores Cole Kindle and Brady Pettigrew all had two hits each. Wright picked up three runs batted in and Kindle had two. But it was seniors Luke Brewer and Dylan Strozier who led the team in RBIs with five and four, respectively, though both players had only one hit in the game, though Brewer’s blast did leave the yard.
On the pitching side of things, three GHS hurlers combined to work seven innings, with Brady Pettigrew getting credit for the start and the victory over four innings. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, striking out four Normal hitters with no walks. Senior Zane Denson followed with 1.2 frames of work, allowing five hits and two runs, before Cole Kindle closed out the game, recording the final four outs on 25 pitches while stranding five runners.
Game #2: Later that same day the Bulldogs’ red-hot offense was shut down by the excellent pitching of the Robertsdale (AL) Bears in a 4-0 loss. Greenwood managed to get nine hits over seven innings but couldn’t string them together to produce any runs. GHS batters also fanned 13 times and received no walks from two Bears’ pitchers.
Luke Brewer and Harrison Adams paced Greenwood with two hits each, with Brewer getting a double for the Diamond ‘Dogs’ only extra base knock. Bryce Morgan, Braden Skaggs, Austin Mitchell, Weston Pschier, and sophomore Austin Bercher all had solo hits. Morgan also swiped a bag in the shutout loss.
Sophomore Aiden Sockey took the hard luck loss for Greenwood, hurling five frames on 82 pitches before being relieved for one inning by Jay Wright. Sockey gave up 10 hits and two walks, but only two of the four runs that scored against him were earned. The GHS defense committed four errors in the game.
Game #3: The following day the Bulldogs faced a more familiar opponent in the Pulaski Academy Bruins of Little Rock, notching a 10-2 win over the private school known for its athletic prowess, especially in football. After moving up from Class 5A, the Bruins will be joining Greenwood as a member of the 6A West conference on the gridiron this coming fall. In the past, the two football powers have enjoyed some classic battles in the postseason.
But last week in Alabama, on the baseball diamond, it was all Greenwood. The Bulldogs got stellar pitching from starter Austin Mitchell, who went the distance (6 innings), while GHS bats banged out a dozen hits, all singles, for the 8-run victory. Greenwood’s defense committed just one error compared to four miscues for the Bruins.
While Pulaski Academy used three pitchers in the game, Mitchell needed 91 pitches to get the job done for the Bulldogs, throwing 53 strikes while walking three and giving up just four hits. He also fanned four Bruins’ hitters while yielding just one earned run for the victory.
With the bats, Greenwood had five players with two hits each – Grant Karnes, Luke Brewer, Braden Skaggs, Brady Pettigrew, and Weston Pschier. Dylan Strozier and Harrison Adams also had solo hits. Pettigrew drove home a pair of runs while Brewer, Skaggs, Pschier, Strozier, and Adams had one RBI each. Skaggs also swiped two bases while Adams nabbed one. Karnes and Brewer also scored two runs each. The Bulldogs received four walks and had three hit batsmen in addition to the four Bruins’ errors.
Game #4: On Wednesday of spring break week the Bulldogs suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Baldwin County (AL) Tigers, their fourth and final game in the tournament. The contest ended with the winning run scored by the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh inning. GHS relief pitcher Jay Wright, who worked 4.2 innings, took the loss. Grant Karnes started the game for Greenwood and went two frames. Only two of the Tigers’ six runs were earned. A pair of GHS fielding errors led to four unearned runs.
Karnes faced 10 batters and threw 36 pitches, 25 of them for strikes, giving up three hits and two runs, neither of which was earned. Wright relieved Karnes in the third inning and threw 68 pitches, including 46 strikes, fanning five enemy hitters and walking one. Only two of the four runs he surrendered were earned.
At the dish, the Bulldogs touched Baldwin County pitching for nine hits, eight singles and a double, led by Luke Brewer, Braden Skaggs, and Dawson Holt with two hits each. Grant Karnes, Dylan Strozier, and Harrison Adams added one hit each, with Holt and Dawson getting credit for one RBI apiece. Brewer crossed the plate twice in the contest.
Van Buren Pointers
Returning home after their trip to Alabama, the Bulldogs resumed conference play this past Tuesday after school reopened on Monday. But the Pointers spoiled Greenwood’s homecoming by taking both ends of the league doubleheader, winning 10-7 and 7-3, taking advantage of a porous GHS defense (5 errors) and 15 walks across both games. The twinbill loss has the Diamond ‘Dogs off to a 1-3 start in league play.
Aiden Kennon started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs, but didn’t have command of his pitches, throwing only two strikes among his first 16 pitches, loading the bases on walks, ultimately being charged with three earned runs and the loss. Relievers Jay Wright (3.1 innings) and Brady Pettigrew (3.2) followed Kennon to the mound but didn’t fair much better. Wright walked five and gave up two hits and three earned runs while Pettigrew yielded five hits, two walks, and gave up a pair of runs, both earned. Van Buren scored 10 runs on just seven hits, only one of which went for extra bases. The Bulldogs committed two costly errors but did turn a pair of double plays.
The Pointers needed two hurlers in the game, with their starter going six innings before being replaced in the seventh. While giving the Diamond ‘Dogs 12 total hits, Van Buren pitching gave only two walks and the Pointers’ two defensive errors did not figure in the scoring. Six Bulldogs’ hitters struck out in the contest.
With the bats, Greenwood did enough to win, rapping a dozen hits, including four doubles, two by Bryce Morgan and one each by Braden Skaggs and Grant Karnes. Skaggs had three hits to lead the team, while Morgan and Dylan Strozier also had two hits each. Austin Mitchell, Dawson Holt, Weston Pschier, and Jay Wright also had solo hits. Mitchell drove home a pair of runs with solo RBIs attributed to Karnes, Holt, and Harrison Adams.
In the nightcap, the Pointers got a solid effort from starting pitcher Eli Gilreath, who went all seven innings on 80 pitches, striking out five Bulldogs while walking none. He gave up just three hits and three runs, but none were earned. He did hit two GHS batters while being credited with the win.
For Greenwood, Austin Mitchell started on the hill and pitched into the fifth inning on 97 pitches, 60 for strikes. The GHS hurler gave up five hits, three walks, and fanned five Van Buren batters, but took the loss. He was relieved by Grant Karnes, who went 2.2 innings, yielding three hits and no runs. But three GHS fielding errors allowed the Pointers to score five unearned runs and escape with a doubleheader win.
Braden Skaggs was responsible for two of Greenwood’s three hits, a single and a double with one RBI. The other hit came off the bat of senior Jake Baxley. Skaggs and Baxley scored one run each, while Bryce Morgan and Harrison Adams had solo runs batted in. The Diamond ‘Dogs batted a collective .107 in the nightcap, going 3-for-28.