The Greenwood Bulldogs ended their 2025 baseball season in the 5A state playoffs last weekend at Benton in Central Arkansas. Head Coach Brandon Brewer and his staff and players reached the quarterfinals before bowing out of the race for a state championship. The Diamond Dogs set themselves up for postseason success by winning four of their last five regular season games, including a key doubleheader sweep of Farmington to finish second in the 5A West conference race, earning a #2 playoff seed.
After winning three of four games to end the month of April, the Bulldogs started May with consecutive wins over Rogers Heritage and Farmington (2) before dropping a close one to Springdale Har-Ber on May 8th. Greenwood then opened postseason play in the first round of the playoffs against Greenbrier last Thursday. A walk-off win over the Panthers then led to Friday’s quarter-final contest against Valley View.
Farmington (2)
On back-to-back days, May 5-6, the Bulldogs bested the Cardinals to secure second place in the 5A West conference standings, earning a #2 playoff seed behind first place Russellville. On the road on Monday, May 5th, the Diamond Dogs scored late to put away a 6-2 victory. Back home on Tuesday, the Bulldogs got a stellar pitching performance for a 2-0 win.
In the Monday opener, the game remained scoreless after three frames before both teams scored once in the fourth inning. A scoreless fifth inning was then followed by solo runs for each team in the sixth, keeping the game tied at 2-2. Finally, the Bulldogs broke the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh for the 6-2 win.
Both teams used two hurlers, with Greenwood starter Aaron Taylor going 6.1 innings for the pitching victory. After giving up a pair of one-out singles in the bottom of the seventh, Taylor was relieved by Cooper Webb, who struck out the next two batters to end the threat. Taylor yielded eight hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts.
At the plate, GHS bats banged out 10 hits, led by Jaxon Cole with three hits and Scott Holland with two knocks, both doubles. Jayden Campbell, Aaron Taylor, Cooper Webb, Cayden Mendenhall, and Wyatt Frye all had solo hits. Cole, Taylor, Cooper Webb (3), and Mendenhall had RBIs. Besides Holland’s two-baggers, Cole, Campbell, and Mendenhall also had doubles. Cooper Webb had a triple. Six of Greenwood’s 10 hits were for extra bases.
In game two the following day, the only two runs were scored in the bottom half of the third inning by the Bulldogs. A leadoff double by Jayden Campbell was followed by a bunt single by Scott Holland with Campbell advancing to third base. An infield grounder plated Campbell before an error and two hit batsmen, forcing home the second run. GHS starting pitcher Mason Moore was great over seven innings, shutting down the opposition bats, allowing just four hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts.
Greenwood was also limited to four hits by two Farmington pitchers, but did receive five walks with three hit batsmen. Jayden Campbell had a single and the only extra-base hit, a double, with Scott Holland also collecting a pair of singles. Aaron Taylor and Ty Holt were responsible for the two Greenwood RBIs.
Springdale Har-Ber
On Thursday, May 9th, the Bulldogs bused northward to Springdale to take on the Class 6A Wildcats, dropping a close 3-2 decision in their final tune-up before the start of the playoffs. The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their first at bat on the strength of a two-out rally that began with a walk. Zack Zitzmann and Jaxon Cole followed with singles. Cole’s hit drove home a run, and an error allowed another GHS runner to score. Har-Ber plated solo runs in the second and third frames and the contest remained tied until Springdale scored a walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning for the win.
Cayden Mendenhall opened the game on the hill for Greenwood and went four innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits while issuing five free passes. Brayden Brewer relieved in the fifth inning and pitched two frames before being replaced by Jake Gigerich. Brewer gave up a lead-off triple in the seventh and was charged with the third run, taking the loss. Brewer allowed just the one hit with two walks while Gigerich faced only one batter. Despite winning the game, Springdale had just six hits in the contest. Greenwood made two errors.
Three GHS players accounted for the team’s four hits. Zack Zitzmann had two of those knocks and stole a base. Jaxon Cole had a single and RBI while teammate Wyatt Frye also added a hit. Greenwood hitters were victimized ten times by the strikeout against two Wildcats’ pitchers.
Greenbrier
The 2025 state tournament was held in Benton and Greenwood’s first opponent was a familiar one in the Greenbrier Panthers, a former member of the 5A West and the #3 seed from the 5A Central. Three GHS hurlers toed the rubber for the Bulldogs, led by starter Aaron Taylor, who went five innings. He gave up three hits, one earned run, allowed four walks, and had four Ks. Cooper Webb pitched 1.1 frames in relief, allowing three hits, an earned run, and issued four bases on balls. Mason Moore recorded two outs in the top of the seventh to set up Greenwood’s walk-off win in the bottom half of the frame. As a result, Moore was credited with the pitching victory.
The Bulldogs scored their first tally in the bottom of the first inning on a double by Scott Holland and an RBI single by catcher Ty Holt. Greenwood scored all four of its runs on just four hits, two of those by Ty Holt, who also knocked in all four runs on a single, sacrifice fly, and a game-winning double. Besides Holland and Holt, the other hit came off the bat of Cayden Mendenhall. Four Bulldogs’ hitters – Holt, Jaxon Cole, Cooper Webb, and Mendenhall – were plunked by two Panthers’ pitchers.
Greenbrier scored a tying run in the top of the fourth inning before taking the lead with another run in the sixth. The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a sac fly by Holt, driving home teammate Scott Holland. In the seventh, Mendenhall led off with a single, followed by a pair of walks to load the bases with one out. Holt then worked a 3-1 count before doubling to right field, driving home the winning runs in walk-off fashion.
Valley View
The Bulldogs’ final opponent this season was the Blazers of Valley View High School in Jonesboro, a member of the 5A East. A host of GHS pitchers tried to slow the Valley View bats, but were unable to do so, allowing 15 hits and as many runs in a 15-6 season-ending loss. But the Greenwood offense battled to stay in the game through four innings, resulting in a 6-6 tie before the Blazers continued their scoring blitz over their final two at bats.
As the visitors, the Diamond Dogs plated two runs in the top of the first on a leadoff walk to Jayden Campbell, an RBI triple by Scott Holland, and an RBI single by Zack Zitzmann. Valley View tied the game in the second inning off GHS starting pitcher Mason Moore, who was eventually tagged for 10 hits and seven runs, five earned, before being relieved by Cayden Mendenhall (0.1), Jake Gigerich (0.2), Lawson Leath (0.2), and Brayden Brewer (0.1). Mendenhall allowed three runs, one earned. Gigerich allowed three earned runs, while Leath gave up two runs, one earned. Adding to the GHS pitching woes, the defense made four errors, allowing five unearned runs to score.
With the game still tied at 2-2, both teams plated four runs in the fourth inning. A leadoff single by Aaron Taylor was followed by a trio of Valley View errors wrapped around a strikeout, allowing four runs to score. Ty Holt then tripled with two outs but was left stranded. A leadoff triple also started the Blazers’ rally in the bottom half of the frame, followed by a walk, two singles, a Greenwood error, and a pair of sacrifice flies to tie the score at 6-6. Valley View then scored four runs in the fifth inning and five more in the sixth for the nine-run victory.
Statistically, the Bulldogs had just six hits, one each by Jayden Campbell, Scott Holland, Ty Holt, Zack Zitzmann, Aaron Taylor, and Cayden Mendenhall. Campbell had two RBIs while Holland and Zitzmann had solo RBIs. Holt and Holland both had triples in the loss.
After the loss, Head Coach Brandon Brewer posted the following message on Facebook, thanking fans and friends of the GHS baseball program for their loyalty and help this spring. “The 2025 season [has] come to a close. Thanks to everyone who supported our club this year. I’m so proud of these young men who rallied together and put it all on the line this season,” said the coach.