Jeremy Cooper scored all the way from first base on Robby Jones’ two-out single in the top of the eighth and Matt Smart put up a goose egg in the home half of the inning as Prairie View shaded Tensas 6-5 Monday afternoon.
Prairie View carried a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh before giving up three runs on a walk and three consecutive one-out errors. Smart got out of the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to keep the Spartans in the game.
Cooper was hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the eighth. Running on contact, he dashed all the way home on Jones’ base hit.
Smart gave up a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth, before second baseman Pat Laird gloved a ground ball to his right, stepped on the bag and threw to first baseman Trevor Wallace for an inning-ending double play.
Prairie View opened the scoring in the second when Collin Robinson walked, took third on Wallace’s double and touched home on Matt Reed’s RBI groundout.
Hunter Smith’s RBI single in the fifth broke a 1-1 tie.
Tensas drew even in the home half of the fifth, but the Spartans quickly regained the lead, 3-2, when Reed singled home Wallace, who doubled.
Prairie View added what would prove to be two much-needed insurance markers in the seventh.
Cooper and Smith reached on errors, sandwiched around a Jones single, to load the bases. Robinson walked to force in a run and Wallace lofted a sacrifice fly to put the visitors up 5-2.
Smart was the winner in relief of Reed, who punched out a dozen and did not yield an earned run in 6 1/3 innings.
Wallace went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a single and a sac fly to pace the Spartans at the plate. Cooper and Jones added two singles apiece as the Spartans improved to 4-3 after an 0-3 start.
Prairie View is back in action Thursday at Union Christian. Game time is 4 p.m. for JV and 6 p.m. for varsity.
Prairie View 17, Franklin 7
Seth Allen went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Pat Laird slugged a three-run home run as Prairie View pelted Franklin Academy here Saturday afternoon.
Prairie View did most of its damage in the bottom of the third. Trailing 3-2, the Spartans sent 14 batters to the box during an 11-run outburst, scoring 10 runs with two outs.
Robby Jones was hit by a pitch to start the inning. With one away, Allen scalded a game-tying RBI double just inside the left line.
After Collin Robinson walked, the Cougars recorded the second out on a popped up bunt.
Then the onslaught began.
Austin McDonald, the first in a line of eight straight Spartans to reach safely, singled Allen across with the go-ahead run. Robinson eventually scored on a wild pitch and Dylan Carroll walked, leaving runners at the corners.
Back to the top of the batting order, Laird unloaded a three-run home run over the left-center wall to put the Spartans up 9-3.
Allen’s RBI single and Trevor Wallace’s three-run double off the top of the left field wall pushed the margin to 14-3.
Caleb Kratzer’s two-run single in the fourth and Christopher Hassell’s RBI base hit in the fifth closed the gap to 13-6.
Prairie View got one of the runs back in the fifth when Robinson drew a one-out walk, swiped second and tallied as Austin McDonald singled off the third base bag.
Franklin added one more in the sixth.
With one down, Dustin Carroll doubled to left, Kratzer walked and Dustin Barefield poked an RBI single to right, slicing the deficit to 14-7.
Taking over for Wallace on the mound, Matt Smart retired the next two batters to avoid further damage. Ranging to his left, Jones made a nice play at shortstop to force Barefield at second base and Smith gathered in a fly ball to center field for out number three.
Prairie View plated three in the home half of the sixth to put the mercy rule into effect.
Five straight batters made their way aboard with one out.
Cooper singled to left, Jones walked and Smith was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest to load the bases. Allen’s third straight RBI hit — a base hit to left — drove in Cooper; and Robinson walked to force Jones home. A couple of pitches later, Smith slid home head first on a wild pitch to make the verdict official.
Adam Walley’s two-run double to deep center field staked the Cougars to a 2-0 first-inning lead.
Prairie View tied the game by putting up single markers in the first and second without the benefit of a hit.
Franklin briefly reclaimed the lead, 3-2, on Ethan Vick’s sacrifice fly.
Allen produced a double and two singles to lead the Spartans at the plate, Laird homered and singled, McDonald went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair, Wallace doubled and Cooper singled.
Franklin out-hit the Spartans 10-9 as Walley doubled and singled, Taylor Gilley, Kratzer and Barefield stroked two singles, Dustin Carroll doubled and Hassell singled.
Wallace struck out seven and walked four in 5 2/3 innings for the win. Gilley, the first of three Franklin pitchers, was dealt the setback.
ST. JOSEPH —
