Riverside punched its ticket to the 2A State Baseball Tournament beginning this week at Mountain Home by posting a 4-1 victory over Marked Tree Friday afternoon in the regional tournament at McCrory.
Grayson Emery delivered a two-run single while Justin Berry added an RBI hit as the Rebels took a 4-0 lead after six innings of play. Marked Tree scratched across a run in the top of the seventh off winning pitcher Traven Weaver, but Ryan Austin came on in relief to get the final two outs, preserving the win. Weaver pitched six and one third innings, allowing one run on five hits. Weaver fanned four and walked three.
Berry finished with a pair of hits for Riverside. Demo Bowers singled and scored twice, Austin and Weaver both had singles while Jacob Thomas and Easton Hatch both scored one run apiece.
Riverside’s semifinal game with McCrory was washed out on Saturday. The two teams met Monday morning at Marked Tree. The Jaguars broke a 4-4 tie, erupting for 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to mercy rule the Rebels, 14-4. McCrory out-hit Riverside 9-5. Each team committed three errors.
Thomas absorbed the loss in relief, giving up three runs on just one hit while walking two. Austin was the starter, going two innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits. Berry pitched two scoreless innings, striking out five.
Berry led the Rebels at the plate with a double and two singles while scoring a run. Hatch belted an RBI single while Emery had Riverside’s other base hit. Thomas drove in a run while Weaver, Bowers and Hunter Swaim all crossed the plate one time apiece.
Riverside fell to Salem in Monday afternoon’s consolation game, 11-4. The Rebels took a 1-0 lead after the first inning and held the advantage until the Greyhounds plated four runs in the fourth. Salem tacked on six more tallies in the fifth inning and pushed across another run in the sixth to take a commanding 11-1 lead. Riverside scored three times in their half of the sixth but failed to score in the seventh. Salem out-hit the Rebels 10-8. Riverside committed four errors while the Greyhounds had three miscues.
Braden Gyngard was the losing pitcher, working three innings, allowing three runs on one hit. Gyngard struck out one and walked three. Berry pitched one inning, allowing six runs on five hits. Grant Smith pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Smith struck out two Greyhounds.
Emery and Bowers both had two singles apiece while scoring one run each. Trae Barnes laced a two-run single, Swaim slammed a double while Weaver cracked an RBI single. Berry singled and scored a run while Austin scored one run.