Siloam Springs answered Alma at every turn Tuesday in a 5A/6A District 1 baseball game.
The Panthers rallied at different stages of the game and took the lead for good with a run in the bottom of the sixth in an 8-7 victory over the Airedales at James Butts Baseball Park.
"It makes you feel good as a coach to have players stepping up in crucial parts of the game and just get it done," said SSHS head coach Alan Hardcastle. "It was a total team effort. That's why we won."
Siloam Springs served notice in the first inning that it wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Alma scored two runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of a shaky Panthers defense, but the Panthers came back and answered that with a pair of runs of their own.
Baron Meek led off with a single and stole second base. He moved to third on a groundout and scored when Isaac Price reached on an error. Price then stole second and third base before scoring on Colin Evers' groundout.
Alma pulled back ahead 5-2 in the top of the second with three more runs, but the Panthers got two runs back in the third.
Elijah Coffey singled and stole second base and Colin Evers reached on an error.
Tanner Broyles' single scored one run and Evers scored on an error to bring the Panthers within 5-4.
Alma scored a run in the top of the fourth to go up 6-4.
Siloam Springs continued to claw its way back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 7-6.
Chance Hilburn started the rally getting hit by a pitch, followed by a single by Broyles. Reed Willbanks reached on an error that allowed two Panthers runs to score to tie game 6-6.
Gavin Henson, courtesy running for Willbanks and scored on Jacob Rowe's groundout to put the Panthers ahead 7-6.
Alma tied the game 7-7 in the top of the sixth and chased Siloam Springs' starter Willbanks from the game. But Meek relieved Willbanks and worked a pair of scoreless innings.
Meanwhile, Siloam Springs took an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Tanner Broyles' single to center scored Colin Evers, who reached on a single earlier in the inning to give the Panthers the lead for good.
"Just answering Alma when we needed to is something we have struggled with all year," Hardcastle said. "We had great timely hitting. We had guys just putting the ball in play and we were scoring."
Broyles had three of Siloam Springs' eight hits and had two RBIs. Coffey had two hits, while Evers scored two runs.
Willbanks pitched five innings and allowed eight hits, with four earned runs and five strikeouts.
Meek pitched two scoreless innings and allowed four hits in getting the win.
Grant Shankle took the loss for Alma (7-10, 3-5). Trenton Christello led the Airedales at the plate, going 3 for 4 with four RBIs, while Destin Smith had two hits and two RBIs.
Bentonville West, Siloam Springs 2
Bentonville West took a 2-0 lead and the Panthers answered with two runs in the bottom of the first.
But it was all Wolverines from there as West scored runs in the next four innings for a run-rule victory over the Panthers.
West scored four runs in the second, two in the third and three apiece in the fourth and fifth innings.
Up next
The Panthers are scheduled to host Greenwood at 5 p.m. on Tuesday for Senior Night.
Sports on 04/22/2018