An eight-run fifth inning by Little Rock Christian was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome this past Monday night in an 11-5 loss, the second game of a doubleheader opening conference play for Greenwood. The loss dropped Greenwood’s early record to 5-2 overall. Greenwood won Monday’s opener, 3-1.

Head Coach Trey Holloway and his team are the defending 6A state champs, but are playing their first season in the newly-formed 5A West. Other league teams include LR Christian, Russellville, Siloam Springs, Beebe, Vilonia, Greenbrier, and Alma.

LR Christian

After two scoreless frames in the nightcap, both teams scored three runs in the third inning. The score remained tied until the top of the fifth when the visiting Warriors sent eight runs across the plate, added by poor GHS defense. The Bulldogs made four errors in the game.

Junior Jace Presley was the starter for the Bulldogs on the mound, going 4.2 innings, striking out seven Warriors’ hitters, and took the loss. Little Rock Christian had 11 total hits in the game.

The Greenwood offense actually out-hit the visitors 14-11 but could muster only five runs, leaving numerous runners stranded. Matthew Munday led the Bulldogs with three hits. Nick Vaughn also had two RBIs for the home team.

Game one was a pitching duel with Greenwood’s Landry Jurecka going the distance for the seven-inning win, 3-1. He gave up only four hits in the contest, relying heavily on his defense, striking out just four opposition hitters. The Bulldogs made two errors in the game.

The home team also got all three of its runs in the first, totaling five hits for the game, led by Nick Vaughn’s two-hit performance. He also drove home a run. Jurecka led the team with two RBIs.

Shiloh Christian

Last Friday the Bulldogs traveled to Springdale to face the Saints, losing 3-1, with Nick Phelps taking the loss on the hill. He fanned nine Shiloh hitters and gave up just three hits in an outstanding effort.

The game was scoreless through two frames, with Greenwood taking a 1-0 lead after three. Shiloh tied the score in the fourth before taking the lead with two runs in the fifth.

Phelps and Chance Sneathern had the only two hits for the Bulldogs, held in check by excellent Shiloh pitching. The Saints’ starter when five innings with two frames of relief help.

FS Southside

On Tuesday, March 5th, the Southside Mavericks came to town for a non-conference game, losing 8-1 in a lopsided affair. The visitors scored their lone run in the sixth inning. Greenwood scored once in the first, four times in the fourth, and three more times in the sixth.

The home team out-hit the Mavs 7-1 and both teams committed two errors. Landry Jurecka was the staring and winning hurler for the Bulldogs, getting relief help from Jace Presley. Jurecka had seven Ks.

Offensively, Chance Eoff had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Diamond ‘Dogs. Freshman River Baker also had a hit and a run batted in for Greenwood.

Nettleton

On March 2nd the Bulldogs were on the road against Nettleton, a suburb of Jonesboro, and came away with a five-inning 12-0 shutout victory behind the solid work of a trio of hurlers, led by Chance Eoff. The game was played in Little Rock at Joe. T. Robinson High School.

Eoff tossed three scoreless innings for the win, followed to the mound by Matthew Munday and Jurecka, both of which threw a scoreless frame.

At the plate, Jurecka, Nick Vaughn, and Colton Sagely all had two hits each. Vaughn and Sagely both had three RBIs, while Jurecka drove home two runners.

Greenwood scored twice in the first inning, five times in the second, twice in the fourth, and three more times in the fifth before the game was called after five frames. The ‘Dogs out-hit Nettleton 8-4 and both teams made two defensive errors.

Booneville

The day before making the trip to Central Arkansas the Bulldogs hosted the Bearcats in the third game of the PBR (Prep Baseball Report) tournament. Nick Phelps started for Greenwood and went five effective innings before being relieved.

He gave up just two runs in the third inning, striking out nine Booneville hitters. But the GHS defense was a little shaky behind him, committing three errors.

Offensively, shortstop Peyton Holt had three hits and four RBIs, followed by Landry Jurecka with two hits and three runs batted in. The Bulldogs had a total of eight hits.

Greenwood took a 2-0 lead in the first, then added single runs in the third and fourth frames, before breaking the game open with two in the fifth and three runs in the bottom of the sixth, winning 9-2.

Shiloh Christian

Game two of the PBR tournament was against the Saints, a 6-2 win for Greenwood behind six strong innings from pitcher Jace Presley, striking out four enemy hitters. Peyton Holt pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief. The GHS defense made two errors in the game.

The Bulldogs scored four runs in the fourth, overcoming a 2-0 Shiloh lead. Two more runs in the sixth provided some insurance for the win. Greenwood had just three hits in the game to Shiloh’s four.

Van Buren

The Bulldogs opened PBR play on February 25th with an 8-1 loss to the Class 6A Pointers from across the Arkansas River in Crawford County. The game was played at Greenwood, but the GHS bats were silenced by good Van Buren pitching.

The Greenwood pitching wasn’t bad either, but the defense was atrocious, with a whopping 10 errors committed in the game. Landry Jurecka was the Bulldogs’ hard-luck starter, taking the undeserved loss, going five innings. Nick Phelps came in to relieve in the sixth, closing out the game.

All was quiet through three frames, but the defense collapsed starting in the fourth inning, allowing three Van Buren runs in both the fourth and fifth frames. Defense has been a point of emphasis for Coach Holloway in the early going this season.

The visitors added single runs in the sixth and seventh. Greenwood’s only score came in the fifth.

Upcoming

The Diamond ‘Dogs will play at Booneville on Thursday this week, starting at 4:30 p.m., the last game before the start of spring break. The team will then practice before traveling out west to take part in the premier division of the annual Coach Bob Invitational in Colorado.

They will play four games starting next Tuesday the 19th against Chandler, Arizona. They will also play Valor Christ High School of Colorado, Deer Valley of Arizona, and Eagle Crest of Colorado.