A five-game winning streak to start 5A-West Conference play came to a crashing end Monday for the Siloam Springs baseball team.
Vilonia swept the Panthers 9-7 and 5-1 on senior night Monday to clinch a playoff spot, and Siloam Springs (8-19, 5-9) wrapped up league play with nine straight losses.
5A-West Conference baseball standings
^Overall^Conf.
Team^W-L^W-L
LR Christian^18-4^10-2
Greenbrier^17-4^9-3
Russellville^18-7^9-3
Greenwood^19-7^8-4
Vilonia^14-12^9-5
Siloam Springs^8-19^5-9
Beebe^3-19^0-12
Alma^0-24^0-12
This week’s games
April 29
Vilonia 9-5, Siloam Springs 7-1
Greenbrier 8-9, Greenwood 7-4
April 30
Alma at Beebe (n)
Russellville at LR Christian (n)
Siloam Springs had already been eliminated from playoff contention going into Monday's doubleheader, which was moved up a day because of inclement weather forecast for Tuesday. But getting swept in their fourth straight conference series was not how the Panthers wanted to close out the league slate.
"Like I told them out here -- the juniors that are coming up, the sophomores and the freshmen -- we've got to figure out a way to overcome," said Siloam Springs coach Alan Hardcastle. "You've got to make plays. You've got to swing the bat."
Vilonia (14-12, 9-5), meanwhile, did its part with the series sweep and got some help as Greenbrier swept Greenwood to keep the defending 6A champions out of the postseason as well.
"We had some help from our neighbors in Greenbrier," said Vilonia coach Brad Wallace. "But yes that (sweep) gave us an opportunity to continue in postseason. That was huge for us."
Game 1
Vilonia 9, Siloam Springs 7
Siloam Springs pulled ahead 6-3 in game one after scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With a runner on base, Landon Ellis hit a "little league home run" where his base hit to center field was booted by Vilonia's center fielder Zane Gunter and rolled all the way to the fence. Isaac Price, who led off the inning with a single, scored easily and Ellis came all the way around to score on the error as Siloam Springs went up 4-3.
With two outs, J.P. Wills was hit by a pitch and Gavin Henson singled to set up Reed Willbanks, who roped an RBI double to make it 6-3.
The Eagles came back and scored three runs in the fifth to tie the game 6-6 and the score remained tied going into the seventh inning.
Luke Berry was hit by a pitch to open the top of the seventh for Vilonia, and Tanner Holland doubled. Berry scored on a wild pitch from Henson, and courtesy runner Robby Bowers scored on a single by Kyle Vines, who reached third on an error. Vines later scored on Caden Raeburn's RBI single to go up 9-6.
The Panthers got a run back in the seventh when Colin Evers doubled and scored on a Vilonia error after an Isaac Price single. But Vilonia pitcher Drew Killough struck out the next three batters to end game one.
Killough got the win in relief, while Henson took the loss. Ellis started the game and pitched 4 2/3 innings.
Down 2-0 in the second inning, Tanner Broyles had a sacrifice fly for the Panthers to score one run and they added another on a Vilonia error.
Vilonia scored a single run in the third to take a 3-2 lead heading into the fourth.
Vilonia 9, Siloam Springs 7
Vilonia^201^030^3^--^9^11^3
Siloam Springs^020^400^1^7^8^4
Albat, Killough (5) and Liszewski; Ellis, Broyles (5), Henson (6) and Wills. W - Killough. L - Henson. SV - None. HRs - None.
Game 2
Vilonia 5, Siloam Springs 1
Siloam Springs took an early 1-0 lead on Vilonia starter Gram Middleton in the first inning on an RBI single by Collin Evers, but that would be all the lanky sophomore right-hander would give up the rest of the way as the Eagles finished off the sweep.
Middleton finished off a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and Albat hit a two-run home run for the Eagles.
"This is his second start for us," Wallace said of Middleton. "To be quite honest, the story of us the past two weeks has been we can't get the big hit. We can get guys on and can't get the big hit. We finally got one.
Vilonia took a 3-1 lead in the third inning when Kyle Vines hit his own version of the "little league home run."
Vines' line drive single to center field skipped past center fielder Elijah Coffey and rolled to the fence. Two runners scored on the hit itself and Vines came all the way around to score on the error.
"Kyle Vines hit a great shot out there, twice in two games, so finally getting a big hit turned the tables for us," Wallace said.
Albat smacked a two-run home run to chase starter Tanner Broyles in the fifth and give Vilonia a 5-1 lead.
"We've got to be mentally tougher," Hardcastle said. "We've got to get mentally tougher."
Vilonia 5, Siloam Springs 1
Vilonia^003^020^0^--^5^7^1
Siloam Springs^100^000^0^--^1^1^2
Middleton and Liszewski; Broyles, Meek (5) and Wills. W - Middleton. L - Broyles. SV - None. HR - Vilonia, Middleton.
Up next
The Panthers are scheduled to host Mountain Home on Friday in the final regular season game.
Sports on 05/01/2019