By Rob Patrick
After finishing third at the 14-year-old South Arkansas championship tournament, the Little Rock Junior Deputy All-Stars had bagged up the equipment for the rest of the summer. South Arkansas would be represented at the Southwest Regional by host Bryant, runner-up White Hall and guest host Benton.
But, after Benton bowed out, Junior Deputy got a late invitation to participate and, lo and behold, they won their first game over the Louisiana champions from Madisonville. But, after absorbing a 10-4 loss to White Hall on Sunday afternoon, the Little Rock team's stay ended with a 15-4 loss Sunday evening to the Mississippi champion from McComb.
McComb stayed alive and advanced to play Bryant in another elimination contest on Monday at 5.[more]
One bad inning spoiled the whole bunch for Little Rock. McComb had jumped to a 7-0 lead but Little Rock rallied with four runs in the top of the third. McComb answered, however, with seven in the bottom of the inning, digging a hole that the Junior Deputy All-Stars could not dig out of.
McComb hammered out 14 hits including three by Marquis Lewis who also walked, scored three runs and drove in one. Gage Posey, Adrian Brown and starting pitcher Jacob Fleming each had two hits and three knocked in.
With Fleming applying the shackles to the Little Rock bats over the first two innings, McComb built its initial advantage. In the first, Garrison Marshall, the Little Rock starter, set down the first two but just couldn't get that third out. Lewis walked and stole second, scoring on a single by Posey. Brown followed with a drive to the base of the fence in deep left that enabled him to circle the bases for an inside-the-park home run, making it 3-0.
Tanner Parvin singled, stole second and took third on an errant throw. He scored moments later on a wild pitch.
In the second, Fleming raked a double to left and, after moving to third on a wild pitch, scored on Brandon Canny's groundout. Lewis singled, stole second and scored on Posey's second RBI single.
Little Rock brought on Logan Stafford to pitch but Posey stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield hit by Brown, making it 7-0.
Junior Deputy came to life offensively in the fourth, with the aid of a pair of McComb miscues. Marshall reached on the first error and, after Michael Haun blooped a single to right-center, Stafford reached on the second boot.
After Fleming got the first out on strikes, Noah Burks lashed a sinking liner to center that got past Lewis for a three-run double. Michael McMurray singled but on a busted squeeze attempt, Burks was picked off third. McMurray swiped second, though, and came home on a base hit by Tyler Woods. David Griffin walked to put two on with two out, but Fleming got Daniel Roberts on a shot back to the mound. The pitcher knocked it down and threw to first to end the uprising.
McComb answered with its biggest inning. Parvin walked to start things but appeared to be forced at second on a grounder by Tyler Stutzman only to reach arrive safely when the second baseman failed to hold the bag on the throw. Blake Terrell singled to load the bases then Fleming unloaded them with a triple that made it 10-4. He scored on an errant throw.
Later, Canny added an RBI single and, after Lewis singled, a double steal produced a run. Plsey knocked in the seventh tally with a groundout.
Brady Badon relieved Fleming in the fourth and retired all six batters he faced to close it out. Lewis singled in a run in the bottom of the fourth to set the final margin.
