Future Hog handcuffs Fayetteville

Blake Adams played like a future Arkansas Razorback on Tuesday. The sophomore right-hander struck out 14 and was 3-for-3 at the plate to lead Springdale Har-Ber to a 7-2 win over Fayetteville High at Arvest Ballpark. Adams, who has verbally committed to the Hogs as a pitcher and hitter, didn't realize he had reached a season high in strikeouts before reaching his pitch limit after Jackson Sloan's seventh-inning single. "I was just rolling; I was feeling it," Adams said. "My fastball had a lot of movement on it today and my slider was working really well. It was breaking late and they couldn't pick it up." The victory forged a tie for first place in the 7A-West with both teams sitting atop the league standings with 7-2 records heading into today's rematch at Fayetteville. Van Buren also is 7-2 after defeating Springdale High on Tuesday. Anytime you beat the Bulldogs, it's a quality win," said Har-Ber coach Ron Bradley. "They're at the top of the race right now and that put us right back in the race." Har-Ber (16-7 overall) blew Tuesday's game open with a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by an RBI triple by Blake Thompson, who was 3-for-4, and a two-run double by Lincoln Rasmussen. Two walks later, Fayetteville starter Miller Pleimann exited the game. Pleimann had allowed just one earned run on four hits in his previous five outings, but loaded the bases three times in the first four innings. Bradley said Har-Ber's batters have been hitting well since a tournament in Missouri over the weekend and planned to work Pleimann deep into each pitch count on each at-bat. "He was down a little bit velocity wise from where he normally is," said Fayetteville coach Scott Gallagher. "But he didn't use that as an excuse or complain about anything while he was out there. That one inning, he just kind of got a little bit wild and that's been uncharacteristic of him since the first game of the season." RBI singles by Adams and Caleb Kimbel in the sixth and an RBI double by Mac McCroskey in the seventh created the final margin. Adams threw 79 strikes in 112 pitches, just three shy of the new pitch limit of 115. He allowed one earned run on five hits and walked three batters. The earned run came when Logan Carr singled to lead off the first inning and later scored on a wild pitch. Two Wildcats' errors in the fifth accounted for the Bulldogs other run. Pleimann struck out the side three times, including in order in the sixth inning. "He's a quality player and he's a lot more mature than his age," Bradley said. "He's got a great future ahead of him and the key for him is to just concentrate on each day and not worry about the future."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Fayetteville High School Athletics

FUTURE HOG HANDCUFFS FAYETTEVILLE

MIKE CAPSHAW

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 4/19/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Fayetteville High School Athletics