TEXARKANA – Searcy American 12-year-old All Stars punched their ticket to the closed-based World Series in LaGrange, Ga. on Wednesday with a 9-2 win over Texarkana West.
Rivers Ridout singled to start the game and advanced to second on a passed ball. Deion Byrd hit a sharp liner to the Texarkana West center fielder who dropped the ball, scoring Ridout and allowing Byrd to reach safely. Two outs later, a single by Brady Anderson scored Byrd to give Searcy American the 2-0 lead.
The score would remain 2-0 until the top of the fourth inning. After Ridout led off with a single, Byrd and Austin Calhoun followed with singles of their own to score Ridout from second base. Kane Malnar walked with no outs and was followed by Anderson who hit a single to center field. A throwing error by the Texarkana West center fielder scored Byrd and Calhoun to give Searcy the 5-0 lead. It also allowed Malnar to reach second safely.
In the bottom of the fourth, Malnar, Searcy American’s pitcher of record, allowed Texarkana West to score its two runs to cut into the Searcy lead. Malnar struck out the next three batters to end the threat with Searcy up 5-2.
After quiet fifth inning by both teams, Calhoun led off the sixth with a sharp double to the center-field wall. Malnar’s single sent Calhoun to third putting runners on the corners with no outs in the inning. Calhoun scored from third on a grounder to the shortstop and Malnar advanced to third base on a throwing error.
With two outs, Lucas Lawson drove in Malnar with a double and moved Lawson into scoring position. Devon Van Winkle drove in Lawson and later crossed home plate on Hunter Wood’s single as Searcy American claimed the seven-run win.
Malnar picked up the win with a very dominant performance on the mound. After Malnar forced the first two Texarkana West batters to pop out and the third to ground out to start the game, the young hurler struck out the next seven batters he faced. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out 10 and walking none. Malnar’s night was short lived due to Dixie League tournament rules that allows a pitcher to only throw 13 innings. Anderson, who struck out three while allowing no runs on two hits, replaced Malnar.
With the win, Searcy American claimed the state title and will advance to the Dixie League 12-year-old closed-base World Series in LaGrange on Aug. 4-9. Their first opponent in the double-elimination tournament will be a team from Alabama at 8 p.m. Aug. 4.
Mark Haney
The Daily Citizen
