WARREN, Ark. (4/8/25) – Bryson Harris stepped to the plate in a 1-1 game with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning and hit into a walk-off fielder’s choice to score AJ Jordan to propel the Warren High School baseball squad to a 2-1 win over Monticello Tuesday evening at the Warren Sports Complex.
By Dennen Cuthbertson, SRN Baseball Contributor
The Lumberjacks began the 11th inning with a single and stolen base by Jordan before Kolby Pope lined one off of the shortstop’s glove to advance Jordan to third base. Hayden Cathey was intentionally walked to load the bases and a strikeout saw Harris at the plate with one out. Harris hit a slow ground ball to second base and gave it everything he had down the line. The second baseman flipped the ball to the shortstop at second for the second out, but a rushed throw to first due to the hustle by Harris caused the first baseman to lose contact with first base.
The result was a Warren dugout rushing the field in victory and a 2-1 win to bring Warren to 12-3 on the season and, most importantly, 4-0 in the 4A-8 conference. Monticello falls to 8-10 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
Nathan Spears started the game on the mound and went three-plus innings for the Jacks and allowed one run on two hits. The Billies were able to tally their only run of the game when they loaded the bases with no outs against Spears in the third inning. Pope entered the game for the Jacks and induced a 4-6-3 double play with a run scoring.
Warren loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first, but couldn’t score after a strikeout and double play. The Jacks broke through with their only run in regulation in the fifth inning after Nathan Spears was balked home with two outs. The team loaded the bases again in the bottom of the eighth with one out on a walk from Jude Cathey and back-to-back singles by Ryan Spears and Tucker McDiarmid. A strikeout and fly out ended the threat.
Pope threw 7 2/3 innings in relief and kept Monticello at bay. The senior allowed one hit, walked two, and struck out 11 batters. The visitors’ best chance came in the 11th inning when a walk and bunt single put two runners on with no outs. However, a foul bunt with two strikes resulted in an out before another punchout. Parker O’Neal came in and recorded the final out of the frame to get the Orange and Black to the bottom of the 11th inning to set up the walk-off heroics.
The Lumberjacks look to continue their winning ways with another home conference matchup on Friday, April 11 against Hamburg. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
