Panthers earn 6A-South split at Texarkana
MARTIN COUCH Sports editor

KEVIN NAGLE PHOTO SHORTSTOP Benton's Drew McCurry.

The Benton Panthers came up with a 6A-South Conference split on their trip to Texarkana.

Benton won the first game 3- 1 and lost the nightcap 11-9 to the Razorbacks. The Panthers are 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the league. Now the Panthers are getting ready to do nonconference battle with a doubleheader against Marion of the 6A-East Conference on Friday afternoon at Panther Field.

"We played great defense," said Benton head coach Mark Balisterri. "We turned three double plays and Luke Kordsmeier was three-for-three with two runs batted in."

Drew Simpson pitched the first game of the doubleheader and allowed only five hits and one run.

"We did a great job of getting the hits when we needed to," Balisterri said. "We played outstanding. Texarkana has five of the best hitters in the conference and Simpson took them down in order. He's a workhorse."

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first game in the top of the second inning when Kordsmeier singled and scored on a base hit from Taylor Cash.

KORDSMEIER KEVIN NAGLE PHOTO Benton third baseman Luke Kordsmeier fires a throw to first base for an out. Kordsmeier led the Panthers to a split against the Texarkana Razorbacks on Friday. The Panthers play again Friday when they host Marion.

The Panthers added another run in the top of the fourth when Kordsmeier doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ashton Wilson.

After Texarkana got on the board, Benton put up another run in the fifth inning.

Drew Simpson led off with a single and his pinch runner, Cole Durham, went to second on Justin Mills' sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. Durham went to third on a passed ball and scored on a single from Kordsmeier. Simpson got the win for the Panthers in the game.

Key hits got the Panthers the win in the first game, but not so much in the second. With Derek Jester on the mound, the Razorbacks were up 6-4 when he left the game. Nathan Pirl came in to relieve him.

"It wasn't Derek's day," Balisterri said. "We came back in the sixth, but hit into a double play. We could have given up, but it was like nothing mattered."

Benton came back in the top of the seventh inning to get five hits in a row and close the gap to 11-9.

"We had one out with the bases loaded and hit a grounder to second," Balisterri said.

It's tough when you leave the winning run at first base. We didn't get the job done. We win big if Derek has a decent day. He's going to continue to be our number one pitcher and he can't let something like this get to him. He needs to get back on the mound and realize that some days it's not going to be there."

In the second game, Texarkana jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Panthers put up two runs in the top of the third. Colby Roberts walked, Simpson was hit by a pitch and Kordsmeier hit a two-run double.

Benton took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Jarrod Shults singled and scored on Mills double. Mills went to third on the throw home and scored when Kordsmeier reached on a fielding error.

Texarkana retook the lead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth and added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-4 lead.

Benton rallied back.

In the top of the seventh, Roberts was safe on a throwing error, Shults singled and Simpson doubled Roberts in. Mills singled and pinch runner Garrett Parker in for Simpson went to third base and Shults to second.

Kordsmeier singled in Parker, then Cash was hit by a pitch and Durham was hit by a pitch with one out to score Mills.

After a Texarkana pitching change, Drew McCurry walked to score Kordsmeier, but a fly out to short and a grounder to second ended the game.

The Panthers have three conference doubleheaders left with Sheridan, El Dorado, Parkview and Watson Chapel.

"If we come out of that with one loss, we'll play for the conference championship," Balisterri said. "I'm proud of our guys. If we sweep at home and split on the road, we'll be just fine."