FAYETTEVILLE — The first round match-up in the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament Thursday in Northwest Arkansas didn’t disappoint on the diamond as the No. 2 seed Bismarck Lions fell short in a tough defeat to area team and No. 3 seed Harmony Grove Cardinals 2-1.
The Lions trailed 2-0 through the top of the fourth inning. But, in the bottom half of the fourth, the Lions began their roar creating a rally and tallied the team’s lone run of the outing.
From that point, the defensive execution took over for both teams as the Cardinals held on through the seventh inning. As a result, the Lions’ title run came to an end for another productive year on the diamond.
Bismarck scored one run on two hits. Blayden Whitley and Ben Keithley collected a key hit apiece, while Trey Smith drove in the run scored by Whitley. Harmony Grove tallied two runs on two hits against the Lions’ execution at state.
On the mound, Lions’ stout pitcher Preston Hughes pitched seven innings, allowed two hits, two runs with one of those earned and recorded seven strikeouts and threw 62 strikes, facing 27 batters.
Bismarck kept their postseason appearances intact to qualify for a consecutive season—clinching the No. 3 seed for regionals in the district tournament. Bismarck finished as a 3A-4 Regional Tournament Runner-up—earning the No. 2 seed at the 3A state baseball tournament.
Read story details in Saturday’s May 17 MDR newspaper edition.