The Greenwood Bulldogs were eliminated in the second round of the 5A state tournament last Friday, losing to the Benton Panthers, who will be playing for the state championship next week against Valley View, the defending state champions. Van Buren (#1) and Greenwood (#2) were the top two teams from the 5A West to qualify for the playoffs, and both reached the second round of the postseason before losing. Mountain Home (#3) and Alma (#4), also from the 5A West, lost in the opening round of the 16-team field. The tournament was played in Paragould on the campuses of Paragould High School and Greene County Tech High School.
While GHS fans understandably wanted their Bulldogs to advance to the semifinals or even the championship game for the first time since the 2021 semifinals, they also understand what a successful season the Diamond Dogs just completed. The Bulldogs finished their 2026 schedule with a 23-8 overall record, 12-2 in 5A West conference play. Head Coach Brandon Brewer offered this statement before his Bulldogs entered the postseason: “I’m very proud of our guys and the way they have competed through the conference [season]. To win 10-plus games in conference and 20-plus games overall [makes] a good season in the state of Arkansas.” It’s Greenwood’s best record since Coach Brewer arrived for the 2022 season.
Greenwood vs. Searcy
Last Thursday the Diamond Dogs opened the playoffs at GCT High School against the Searcy Lions, the #3 seed from the 5A East, and the result was a convincing 10-2 victory for the Bulldogs. Jayden Campbell was the offensive leader for Greenwood with four hits and two RBIs while starting pitcher Aaron Taylor went four innings to earn the win, allowing four hits and one earned run with a walk and seven strikeouts. Cooper Webb relieved and covered the final three frames, giving up three knocks and a run with a walk and three Ks.
Taylor gave up a leadoff homerun in the top of the first inning, but his teammates tied the score in the bottom half on a single by Jayden Campbell and an RBI double by Brandon Brewer. The score remained 1-1 until the Bulldogs batted in the bottom of the third inning, pushing across another solo run on a pair of singles by Campbell and Brayden Renick and a run-scoring sacrifice lineout to left field by Cruz Coatney.
But the GHS offense exploded in the bottom of the fourth, plating five runs while sending nine hitters to the dish. After throwing his last pitch in the top half of the frame, Aaron Taylor’s leadoff single opened the floodgate for the offense before he was replaced by courtesy runner William Houston. A bunt single by Wyatt Frye then loaded the bases before a two-run double by Jayden Campbell made it 4-1. After a strikeout and an intentional walk to Ty Holt loaded the bases again, Brayden Brewer doubled home three runs to make it 7-1.
Both teams scored single runs in the fifth with Aaron Taylor and Jayden Campbell teaming up for Greenwood’s tally. Taylor doubled to start the inning before Campbell’s two-out single to centerfield. Leading 8-2, the Diamond Dogs added their last two runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. A one-out single by Brayden Brewer was followed by a walk to Cruz Coatney. A Cooper Webb single drove home Brewer before a stolen base by Webb led to a throwing error by the Searcy catcher, allowing pinch runner Jake Gigerich to score Greenwood’s final run.
The Diamond Dogs had 14 total hits, three of those doubles, led by Campbell’s four knocks, including a double, two runs batted in, and three runs scored. Brayden Brewer had three hits, with two doubles and four RBIs. Aaron Taylor added two hits while teammates Brayden Renick, Cruz Coatney, Cooper Webb, Caden Mendenhall, and Wyatt Frye all had solo hits. Coatney and Webb both had solo RBIs as well.
Greenwood vs. Benton
Thursday’s win propelled the Bulldogs into the quarterfinals on Friday for a 10 a.m. start against the Benton Panthers. Brayden Brewer started on the hill for Greenwood, going four innings, giving up four hits, four walks, and three earned runs before being relieved by Lawson Leath, who pitched into the seventh inning and took the hard luck loss.
The Bulldogs fell behind early, trailing 2-0 after two frames before scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to finally tie the score at 3-3 heading into the final frame. Benton added a third run in the fourth and won it in walk-off fashion on a bases loaded single in the seventh.
A lead-off triple by Ty Holt and an RBI sac fly by Braydon Brewer accounted for Greenwood’s first run in the fourth. A Benton error and a walk to Jayden Campbell led to a Brayden Renick RBI single in the fifth. Then another Panthers’ error in the top of the sixth was followed by a Cooper Webb single and an RBI sacrifice fly by Aaron Taylor, tying the score at 3-3.
It was a light hitting affair for both teams. Benton had six knocks while Greenwood had five. The Panthers made the only two errors of the contest, but Bulldogs’ pitching gave five free passes to just one walk issued by Benton. Jayden Campbell was the only GHS batter with two hits. Ty Holt had the only extra base hit for Greenwood with a triple. Brayden Renick and Cooper Webb had the other two solo knocks. Renick, Brewer, and Taylor had the team’s three RBIs.
Looking Ahead
The best news for Bulldogs’ fans is that the team is losing only one senior to graduation this spring. Jake Gigerich is the team’s only 12th grader and also the only pitcher the Bulldogs are losing. Pitching was a team strength this season and should only get better with improved experience and physical maturity heading into next season. On top of that, the entire starting infield and outfield returns next season, led by the likes of catcher Ty Holt, infielders Jayden Campbell and Brayden Renick, and outfielders Cooper Webb and Wyatt Frye. So, be patient, Bulldogs fans. The best is yet to come with this group.