Pioneers take first step toward Baum
Lakeside takes it to the House!

published Tuesday, May 4, 2004

The Pioneers advanced one step and one round closer to their goal of a return trip to Baum Stadium and a chance at the 2004 State Championship Monday night with an easy victory over Hot Springs Lakeside. The #4 seed Rams represented the Southwest Conference when they met the Pioneers at Mills University Studies in Little Rock. The field which has always been kind to the Pioneers was as I remember it, small, ill-lit and unsuited for a tournament of this caliber. The programs are childish and obviously no one takes time to proof them. I'm not sure what their connection to the AAA is but I wish they would award these tournaments to a school that would do them justice, rather than the one with the most political pull. I did hear the tournament director tell the umpire for our game that they were out of balls, so we had to play with what we had. And that on the first night of the tournament! OK, I'm done whining now.

Home team Pioneer Jeremy Burba took the mound at the top of the inning and his first few pitches appeared to lack their normal velocity. After the first 2 Ram batters grounded out, the 3rd hit a long shot out of left field. He commented to one of the Pioneers that he would probably do that again. He didn't, in his only other at bat, since Burba came back out in the second inning, began to pick up velocity and ended the game giving up only 3 hits total. The Pioneer batters established their dominance quickly. Lead off Pioneer Kyle Francis walked and steals second. Then, very impressively, 4 Pioneers, Burba, Grant Gatlin, Patrick Smith and Andy Rogers hit consecutive doubles. Maybe not a team record, but pretty cool to watch, and it brings the score to 4 - 1 Pioneers at the bottom of the 1st. It's all downhill for the Rams now. In the 2nd the Pioneers tack on 3 runs with singles by Rhodes, Skinner and Fletcher. Skinner picks up an rbi and a season first, run scored. Gatlin gets the last rbi with a 2nd double. In the 3nd the Pioneers cap it off with 5 runs with a lead off double by Rogers, hits by Rhodes and Francis and a double from Skinner. Burba hits safely and is scored when the right side of the infield converges on a Gatlin fly ball and watches it drop at their feet. Final Score Pioneers - 12, Rams - 1.