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The Leopards gather prior to the start of the second inning during Friday’s first round State Tournament win over Pulaski Academy. (Photo by James Leigh)
By Paxton Penny
The Malvern Leopards defeated Little Rock Christian 3-2 in the State semifinal at Wynne last night and will play this Saturday in the State Championship.
The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Christian’s lead off batter slapped a homerun to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the same inning, Teron Greene reached on error and Robert Hill drew a walk. Hunter Whitley and Dustin Lawrence served as their respective designated runners and were batted in on a 2-strike Anthony Witherspoon homerun over the right-center field fence. Jon Whit Golden struck out, but he reached first when the catcher lost the ball. He advanced to third on steals but was left stranded. Christian scored once in the sixth to close the gap to 1. Kevin White, who went the distance for Malvern from the mound, struck out the first two batters in the seventh inning. Christian’s next batter flew out to deep right field to end the game. “He probably had his best inning of the year,” said coach Darryl Baker of the junior pitcher. “They clocked him at over ninety miles an hour in that last inning.” White finished with 7 strikeouts. Christian’s two pitchers combined for 13. “It was a well pitched game on both sides,” said Baker. “I’m so proud of Kevin. He pitched five innings Saturday and didn’t throw his best stuff, but he came out today and was pretty tough. He deserved to have a good game. He’s worked hard for us all year.” Patrick Lewallen and Golden each contributed a hit for the Leopards. Malvern defeated Greenwood 9-8 in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Ryan O’Neal, Witherspoon, and Greene each had a homerun. Malvern will now prepare to face the Harrison Goblins in the State Championship game this weekend. “They’re a good team, well coached,” said Baker. "It's going to be a great ball game." The State Championship game will be played this Saturday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville on the University of Arkansas campus, 3 p.m. |
