.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Brought to you by Business Booster Ellen Hobgood Gallery
Tag: Ryan Bridges
Panthers’ season ends at regional tournament
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
MORRILTON — The Heber Springs Panthers again couldn’t escape giving up one big inning.
Farmington, the top-seeded team for the Class 4A North Baseball Regional, scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning and pulled away to a 7-0 win in and quarterfinal game at the Devil Dog Yard Complex on Friday.
The Panthers finished the season with a record of 12-13.
“That has been one of the things we battled all year, getting over the one bad inning,” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “We made a couple of errors and then Farmington had two base hits to drive runners home. Our pitchers threw well and executed the game plan of not throwing many fastballs. We kept them off-balanced most of the time. They took advantage of our mistakes.”
Farmington righthander Myles Harvey pitched a one-hit shutout and allowed six Heber Springs hitters to reach base. Harvey walked four and struck out 12 batters.
The Panthers’ only scoring threat came when they loaded the bases in the fifth inning. Ty West reached on an error, John McBroome was hit by a pitch and Zane Lozeau walked with one out. The inning ended on a double play.
“We didn’t hit much and when we did, it was right at the defense,” Bridges said. “The pitcher struck out 12 batters. It’s difficult to win when you strike out that many times.”
Farmington sent nine batters to the plate during the five-run fifth inning. Lawson DeVault’s RBI single started the rally. Luke Elsik and Case Enderland each singled before Michael White hit a 2-run double. Chase Brown drove home two runners with a base hit.
The Cardinals scored runs during the fourth and sixth on Enderland’s RBI single and an infield out.
Despite the loss, Bridges said the team progressed throughout the season and a bright future looms ahead.
“Considering our inexperience, we did all right,” Bridges said. “We played four freshmen, three or four sophomores and two juniors most of the time. We had three senior players, and I feel for them. They (seniors) helped to change the program.”
The Panthers achieved two of their season goals — avoid the play-in game for the conference tournament and qualify for the regional tournament.
Bridges said the goals will be higher next season.
“We’re looking forward to the future with our younger players,” Bridges said. “Expectations next year is to punch our ticket for the state tournament. We played better every game, but that one inning got us almost every game. Hopefully, we learn to finish games, get rid of the one bad inning and play clean seven innings.”
Heber Springs 000 000 0–0 1 2
Farmington 005 101 x–7 8 3
HEBER SPRINGS HITTERS: J.T. Spears single.
HEBER SPRINGS PITCHERS: J.T. Spears (LP) 5 hits, 6 runs, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 1 strikeout in 4 innings; Corbin Jones 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts in 2 innings.
FARMINGTON HITTERS: Lawson DeVault single, double, 1 RBI; Chase Brown 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Michael White double, 2 RBIs; Caden Elsik single, 1 RBI; Kyson Bridges single 1 stolen base; Luke Elsik single; Case Enderland 1 RBI, 1 stolen base.
FARMINGTON PITCHER: Myles Harvey (WP) 1 hit, 0 runs, 4 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Panthers advance to regionals, face conference champ in district
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
POTTSVILLE – The pressure of qualifying for the Class 4A West Regional Baseball Tournament became a reality for the Heber Springs Panthers on Tuesday.
Freshman Liam Buffalo’s sacrifice fly broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning, the first of three runs. Buffalo then pitched the seventh inning, ending the game on a strikeout, as the Panthers clinched its first regional tournament berth since 2018 with a 3-2 win against Clarksville in the 4-4A district quarterfinals.
The Panthers (12-11) will play Morrilton (17-3) at 4 p.m. Thursday in the tournament semifinals.
“This game was filled with pressure, just like the first game at Clarksville (during the regular season),” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “We had scoring opportunities early in the game. We had runners on second and third bases in the first inning and couldn’t score. We had a runner at second base with no outs and didn’t score during the second inning. We had a lead-off triple (by Kenan Sneed) in the third. We tried a suicide-squeeze bunt, but failed to score. We finally scored later in the game and held on to win.”
Sneed just missed hitting for the cycle with a single and double to go along with his triple and had an RBI. J.T. Spears had a single and double, plus an RBI. Corbin Jones contributed an RBI double.
Spears was the starting and winning pitcher. He held Clarksville to four hits, walked three and struck out three batters in five innings. Jones took over the pitching duties in the sixth before Buffalo answered the call in the seventh.
“J.T. pitched well again for five innings,” Bridges said. “We misplayed some balls during the sixth inning and Clarksville took advantage of the scoring opportunities. Clarksville loaded the bases against Buffalo in the seventh with two outs, but Liam struck out the last batter to end the game.”
Heber Springs’ focus now turns to regular season champion Morrilton, which won the only game between the two teams this year. But Bridges expects a different outcome against the Devil Dogs at the tournament.
“I told the players we were playing with house money because no one expected us to be here (district semifinals),” Bridges said. “We are already in the regional and now can play more relaxed. We will approach it like playing an another game and an opportunity to improve. If we do win, we will play in the final on Friday. Winning also would give us a better seed for the regional tournament.”
Bridges said he was undecided on Thursday’s starting pitcher, but it would probably either be Jones or Ty West.
Heber Springs 3, Clarksville 2
Heber Springs hitters: Kenan Sneed single, double, triple; J.T. Spears single, double, 1 RBI; Corbin Jones double, 1 RBI; Liam Buffalo 1 RBI, 1 stolen base.
Heber Springs pitchers: J.T. Spears (WP) 4 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts in 5 innings; Corbin Jones 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning; Liam Buffalo (Save) 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning.
Panthers head to Pottsville looking for a regional berth
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
The Heber Springs Panther baseball team reached its first season goal with Saturday’s 10-6 win against Subiaco Academy in the regular season finale at the Heber Springs Sports Complex.
The Panthers (11-11 overall, 3-3 in 4-4A) will begin play at the 4-4A Conference Tournament against Clarksville at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Pottsville. Tuesday’s winner will qualify for the North Regional tournament in Morrilton.
Subiaco Academy (8-10 overall, 1-5 in 4-4A) is scheduled to play Pottsville in the play-in game, also on Tuesday.
“We set a goal of avoiding the play-in game and accomplished it,” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “It also will benefit our pitching staff. We need one win get to the regional tournament and that also was one of our goals. The players are excited about that.”
The Panthers defeated Clarksville (9-7 overall, 2-4 in 4-4A) 3-2 earlier this season in Clarksville.
“It will be a tough game,” Bridges said. “Clarksville has a big lefty, who is a very good pitcher. We have not faced him yet. We will be working on our hitting in practice and then see what happens on Tuesday.”
Liam Buffalo led the Heber Springs’ offense with three singles and an RBI, plus two stolen bases. Preston Fitzpatrick hit a single and a double for three RBIs. Ty West had two singles and a stolen base. John McBroome contributed two singles.
The Panthers broke the game open by scoring five runs during the second inning and pulled away to a 6-1 lead.
“The second inning helped to get us going,” Bridges said. We put the ball in play It helped us to get more comfortable. The bunt hits and doing what we needed helped to win the game by putting more runs on the board.”
But it was not just hitting. Bridges liked the performance of his pitching staff.
Corbin Jones, who was the starting and winning pitcher, allowed five hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts and a walk in four innings. Logan Lozeau pitched the fifth inning and gave up three hits and an earned run with one walk and a strikeout.
West relieved Lozeau in the sixth and allowed two hits and three runs, one run earned, with one walk. Buffalo pitched the seventh and permitted two hits and struck out two batters.
“We got good pitching,” Bridges said. “Corbin pitched well for four innings. Logan and Ty helped out and Buffalo closed the game.”
Subiaco Academy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Wesley Schluterman reached base on a single and later scored on Drew Creek’s infield out. The Panthers tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Zane Lozeau walked, advanced to second on an infield out and scored on Buffalo’s two-out RBI single.
Heber Springs loaded the bases with no outs in the 5-run second inning. Preston Fitzpatrick hit a 2-run single to break the 1-1 tie. McBroome came home on Zane Lozeau’s sac fly and Fitzpatrick scored after a wild pitch. Cole Payton walked and crossed the plate when Buffalo reached on an error.
The Trojans scored runs in the third and fifth innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers increased their lead to 10-3. West hit 2-run single, J.T. Spears scored on an infield hit, and West crossed the plate when Sneed was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Subiaco Academy scored its final three runs in the sixth inning.
“We tried to be more aggressive running the bases,” Bridges said. “Getting clutch hits and the base running helped to put the game away (in the fifth).”
Bridges hasn’t decided on a starting pitcher for Clarksville. Spears, who pitched a complete-game win in the teams’ earlier game, is the likely starter.
“That game was scoreless until the sixth inning,” Bridges said. “Not sure if J.T. might start or go with someone else since he pitched last time we played. We got the momentum with Saturday’s win. I like our chances for Tuesday’s games.”
Subiaco Academy 100 113 0–6 12 2
Heber Springs 150 040 x–10 10 1
SUBIACO ACADEMY HITTERS: Wesley Schluterman single, double, 1 RBI; Ivan Martijin 2 singles, 1 stolen base; Brody Koch 2 singles, 1 stolen base; Luke Castro double, 1 stolen base; Jacob Grist double; Conner Haynes single, 1 RBI; Drew Creek single, 1 stolen base; Sebastian Kersh single.
HEBER SPRINGS HITTERS: Liam Buffalo 3 singles, 1 RBI, 2 stolen bases; Preston Fitzpatrick single, double, 3 RBIs; Ty West 2 singles, 1 stolen base; John McBroome 2 singles; J.T. Spears single; Cole Payton 1 RBI, 1 stolen base, Zane Lozeau 1 RBI; Kenan Sneed 1 RBI.
SUBIACO ACADEMY PITTERS: Conner Haynes 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 strikeout in 1 inning; Wesley Schluterman (LP) 4 hits, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts in 2 innings; Logan Hess 5 hits, 4 earned runs in 3 innings.
HEBER SPRINGS PITCHERS: Corbin Jones (WP) 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk in 4 innings; Logan Lozeau 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout in 1 inning; Ty West 2 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk in 1 inning; Liam Buffalo 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning.
Panthers fall to Dardanelle; to battle Subiaco
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
Weather put Heber Springs’ baseball 4-4A Conference Tournament seeding on hold for now.
The Panthers (2-3 in 4-4A, 10-11 overall) lost to Dardanelle (4-2 in 4-4A, 12-5 overall) 5-3 Tuesday at the Heber Springs Sports Complex and missed an opportunity of clinching a No. 2 seed for the tournament.
“This game really hurts because it has been a while since Heber had an opportunity of a No. 2 seed,” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “The guys played and worked hard, but we got to do that before the seventh inning.”
Dardanelle clinched the No. 2 seed with the win, while Morrilton will be the top seed. The Sand Lizards and Devil Dogs assured themselves of regional tournament berths.
Heber Springs and Ozark currently are tied for third place in the conference standings. Weather canceled Wednesday’s Subiaco Academy at Ozark game. Ozark needs one win to earn the No. 3 seed. The Panthers, who are scheduled to host Subiaco Academy on Thursday. Heber Springs can avoid the play-in game with a win against Subiaco Academy.
“We want to avoid the play-in game,” Bridges said. “That would force us to win two games for a regional tournament berth, instead of just one win. I’m hoping playing on senior night will give us extra motivation against Subiaco Academy. We need to play well and win. I like our chances, especially playing at home.”
J.T. Spears, who was the starting and losing pitcher, allowed five hits, four runs with nine strikeouts and four walks against Dardanelle. Corbin Jones relieved Spears at the beginning of the seventh inning, allowing one hit and one run with two strikeouts.
“J.T. pitched well,” Bridges said. “We probably needed to throw more off-speed pitches in that first inning because they had trouble hitting those type of pitches. Instead, we threw all fastballs and they hit them. I saw something from J.T. that I’ve not seen this year, more energy. He got into his zone during the second, third and fourth innings.”
Zane Rose started Dardanelle’s three-run first inning with a walk. Drew Vega hit a double, putting runners on second and third bases before Robert Millard’s two-run double. Millard later scored on Colvy Holt’s RBI single.
“Just wish there was a way to take the three runs Dardanelle scored in the first inning away,” Bridges said. “I thought (third baseman) Liam (Buffalo) had a chance to make a backhanded catch, but the ball hit the bag and bounced over Liam’s head.”
Dardanelle scored runs in the fifth and seventh innings for a 5-0 lead before the Panthers threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Heber Springs loaded the bases with no outs when Xander Lindley and pinch-hitter Ty West each walked and Preston Fitzsimmons was hit by a pitch. Lindley scored on Zane Lozeau’s sacrifice fly and Kenan Sneed followed with an RBI single. Fitzsimmons came home on Cole Peyton’s sac fly, reducing Dardanelle’s lead to 5-3 with two outs.
The game ended when reliever Ty Roper, who replaced starter Titus Spencer with one out in the seventh, on a strikeout.
“We had good at-bats during the seventh inning,” Bridges said. “We need to do that throughout the game and get on base anyway we can. When we do that, we will have opportunities to win games.”
Dardanelle 300 010 1–5 6 1
Heber Springs 000 000 3–3 4 2
DARDANELLE HITTERS: Robert Millard single, double, 2 RBIs, 1 stolen base; Colvy Holt 2 singles, 1 RBI; Drew Vega double, 1 stolen base; Clayton Weatherford single, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base.
HEBER SPRINGS HITTERS: Kenan Sneed 2 singles, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base; Zane Lozeau double, 1 RBI; Preston Fitzpatrick single; Cole Peyton 1 RBI.
DARDANELLE PITCHERS: Titus Spencer (WP) 3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts in 6 innings; Ty Roper (Save) 1 hit, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout in 1 inning.
HEBER SPRINGS PITCHERS: J.T. Spears (LP) 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts in 6 innings; Corbin Jones 1 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning.
Heber Springs blanks Pangburn in nonconference play, host Newport today
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY
Heber Springs hopes a return to the Heber Springs Sports Complex leads to more success on the field.
The Panthers (2-4) began the season by shutting out Pangburn at home and won one of four games against at the Sheridan Tournament.
Heber Springs started the tournament with losses to 6A Sheridan and 5A Searcy before the 6-0 shutout against Pangburn at home last Thursday. The Panthers lost to 6A Little Rock Catholic last Friday before a 14-9 win against Malvern in the tournament finale on Saturday.
On Monday, Heber Springs fell to Beebe 11-4. The Panthers are scheduled to host Newport at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Batesville at 5 p.m. Friday.
“We played two tough games to start the season,” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “We played them close, but unable to finish it at the end of the games. Against Pangburn, we got out on them early in the game. Pangburn was a good team and played at last year’s state tournament.”
Corbin Jones struck out three and allowed two hits in five innings. Ty West pitched the sixth and Xander Lindley relieved West in the seventh.
“Corbin did a good job and answered back from his first start,” Bridges said. “He threw 38 pitches through four innings and finished with 66 pitches. He got in a jam during the fifth inning, but got out of it. The other guys stepped up and finished the game. Ty pitched well and used his split-finger pitch and a change-up. Xander pitched his first game and did well, too.”
John McBroome led the Heber Springs offense with two singles. Liam Buffalo had two RBIs and Zane Lozeau had an RBI.
“We finally took advantage of opportunities with runners in scoring position,” Bridges said.
Pangburn 000 000 0–0 3 2
Heber Springs 010 230 x–6 4 1
Pangburn hitters: Braxton Butler single; Cole Ramsey single; Stephen Toumajan single.
Heber Springs hitters: John McBroom 2 singles; Liam Buffalo single, 2 RBIs; Kenan Sneed single; Zane Lozeau 1 RBI.
Pangburn pitchers: Braxton Butler 1 hit, 1 earned runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout in 1.1 inning; Trevor Evans 1 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 1 strikeout in 2 innings; Xander Kane 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning; Rhett Tharp 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk in 1.2 inning.
Heber Springs pitchers: Corbin Jones 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts in 5 innings; Ty West 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning; Xander Lindley 1 hits, 0 runs in 1 inning.
SPRING ROUND-UP: Panthers open soccer season with wins; Brown, Hooten win state titles
.JPG?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
HEBER SPRINGS – The spring sports season opened up on Monday for four Heber Springs Panther teams with mixed results.
The boys and girls soccer teams won home matches over Riverview at Panther Stadium, while the baseball and softball teams opened with losses.
For the track teams, the senior boys and girls competed at the Class 4A state indoor track meet on Saturday in Fayetteville.
GIRLS SOCCER
Cristina Garcia scored three times and Sam Gilley twice as Heber Springs (1-0) led 5-0 until late in the contest before the Riverview (0-1) added late goal on the Lady Panther reserves.
Heber Springs returns to action on Thursday at Panther Stadium against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).
BOYS SOCCER
Senior Gus Hannah and freshman Braden Biggs each scored as Heber Springs (1-0) opened with a 2-1 win over Riverview (0-1).
Chandler Webber picked up the assist on each of the goals, while senior goalkeeper Jackson West had 10 saves in the night.
Heber Springs will return to action on Thursday at home against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).
BASEBALL
Heber Springs opened the coach Ryan Bridges era with a trip to Bridges’ alma mater, Sheridan, for a nonconference tournament.
The 4A Panthers led until the late innings but were not able to pull out the win against the 5A Yellowjackets falling 13-4.
Heber Springs (0-1) will tangle with another 5A school today in the same tournament when they face Searcy at Benton with first pitch set for 5:45 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Due to wet field conditions, Heber Springs’ season-opener was moved from Maumelle. Despite the home field advantage, the Lady Panthers dropped a 7-2 decision.
Heber Springs will look to bounce back today as they host Nemo Vista at 4:30 p.m.
TRACK
At the Class 4A state indoor meet on Saturday on the campus of the University of Arkansas, sophomore Parker Brown and junior Jaylea Hooten each won individual state titles by winning the high jump.
The boys mile relay team also claim a first-place finish.
HEBER SPRINGS RESULTS:
SENIOR BOYS 60: 4. Parker Brown 7.38, 14. Bent McClain 7.90 200: 4. Parker Brown 23.83, 10. Bent McClain 25.40 400: 14. Weston Warden 1:02.34, 16. Hunter Warren 1:07.21 800: 8. Nathan Poff 2:21.43, 11. Wade Harris 2:27.47 1600: 7. Mason Harris 5:08.62, 10. Wade Harris 5:18.20 3200: 6. Nathan Poff 11:33.68, 8. Reagan Buell 12:22.27 60 HURDLES: 8. J.P. Bonkoski 12.36, 9. Aaron Combs 14.46 MILE RELAY: 1. Heber Springs 3:55.88 TWO-MILE RELAY: 4. Heber Springs 9:55.49 HIGH JUMP: 1. Parker Brown 6-0, 4. Liam Buffalo 5-6 LONG JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 19-7.5, 3. Liam Buffalo 19-6.75 TRIPLE JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 40-0.25 POLE VAULT: 5. Justin Ogle 10-6 SHOT: 9. Aaron Combs 22-7, 10. Kevin Leal 19-5. SENIOR GIRLS 60: 12. Natalie Buffalo 8.88, 15. Ava Noble 9.68 200: 7. Jaylea Hooten 28.57, 11. Joanna Wilson 29.65 400: 7. Joanna Wilson 1:06.81, 10. Maygan Jarvis 1:08.5 800: 8. Riley Bailey 2:52.79, 11. Vallie Cantrell 3:00.9 1600: 7. Joy Bray 6:18.98, 9. Riley Bailey 6:33.28 3200: 7. Riley Bailey 14:37.63, 10. Vallie Cantrell 15:12.32 60 HURDLES: 2. Rylee Birmingham 10.84, 4. Jaylea Hooten 10.95 MILE RELAY: 5. Heber Springs 4:55.04 HIGH JUMP: 1. Jaylea Hooten 4-10, 6. Vallie Cantrell 4-4 LONG JUMP: 2. Jaylea Hooten 15-11.75, 10. Natalie Buffalo 14-2.35 TRIPLE JUMP: 8. Taylor Parker 27-11.25 POLE VAULT: 2. Maygan Jarvis 10-0, 5. Ava Noble 7-0 SHOT: 8. Miah Tharp 21-11.75, 10. Lily Hendrix 19-3
UPCOMING HEBER SPRINGS SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE
March 1 through March 10
(Times and dates subject to change; italics indicts home games, matches)
Tuesday, March 1st
Softball vs. Nemo Vista (4:30 p.m.)
Baseball vs. Searcy at Benton (tournament) (5:45 p.m.)
Thursday, March 3rd
Baseball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)
Softball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (7 p.m.)
Friday, March 4th
Baseball vs. Little Rock Catholic (3:30 p.m.)
Softball vs. Carlisle (4:30 p.m.)
Saturday, March 5th
Softball at Southside Batesville (4:30 p.m.)
Monday, March 7th
7th-Grade Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Softball at Searcy (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer at Dardanelle (5 p.m.)
Baseball at Beebe (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer at Dardanelle (7 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 8th
Junior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Softball at White County Central (4:30 p.m.)
Thursday, March 10th
Senior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)
Baseball vs. Newport (4:30 p.m.)
Softball at Bigelow (4:30 p.m.)
Senior Girls Soccer vs. Danville (5 p.m.)
Senior Boys Soccer vs. Danville (7 p.m.)