CONWAY, Ark.-The Texarkana Razorbacks had opportunities in every inning but left 11 on base in a loss to Fort Smith.
The Razorbacks' only scoring inning was answered by the Sportsmen in the bottom of the inning, and Fort Smith held on for a 6-3 win in the American Legion Arkansas Senior state baseball tournament Friday at UCA's Bear Stadium.
Texarkana plays an elimination game against Little Rock at 10 a.m. today with the winner playing again at 8:30 p.m. Fort Smith faces the winner of either Bryant or Batesville at 6 p.m. today, and the loser of that late Friday game meets Paragould at 12:30 p.m.
"We're looking to bounce back," interim head coach Dane Peavy said. "I told the guys that there's no time to feel sorry for theirselves; it's a quick turnaround. We played a pretty good game, but the bounces didn't go our way."
Kade Garmany absorbed the loss for the Razorbacks, who banged out 10 hits and did not make an error. Garmany pitched six innings, throwing 90 pitches. He allowed eight hits and four runs, striking out a pair and walking four.
Braiden Partin picked up the win, tossing 100 pitches in six innings before giving way to Ryan Daggs. Partin gave up three runs on nine hits, fanned three, walked one and hit a batter.
After missing scoring chances in the first two frames, Texarkana got on the scoreboard in the third.
Kevin Zhao belted a triple over the center fielder's head to lead off the inning, and he scored on Garmany's double to deep left. A throwing error on Daegan Covington's single to center plated Garmany, putting Covington at third.
Dalton Burrell doubled into the left-field corner to stake the Razorbacks to a 3-0 lead.
The Sportsmen got a big swing from Daggs in the bottom of the third to tie the game.
"We out-hit Fort Smith, we didn't make any errors, but they got the key hits when they needed them," Peavy said. "Overall, we've got to be OK with where we're at. We'll come out tomorrow and give it our best, compete and see what we can get done."
After a double play erased a leadoff walk, Breck Burris sliced a single to left for the first off Garmany. Colton McBride lined a hit to left, and Daggs smashed the first pitch he saw over the wall in left field for a 3-run homer.
Landry Wilkerson hustled for a double on his hit down the right-field line, Clay Cross' hit up the middle was knocked down to save Wilkerson from scoring.
Colton Sagely singled deep in the hole between third and shortstop for the go-ahead RBI.
The Razorbacks got two runners on in each the first and second innings.
Garmany lined a two-out single to right in the first, and a hit batsman put two on before a groundout to third ended the opportunity.
In the second, AY Heard's single to left came with one out, and Roc Hawthorne's two-out single put runners on the corners. A foul out ended the threat.
Texarkana got two more baserunners in the fourth on an error and Zhao's infield hit, but the Hogs left the pair stranded to end the inning. The Razorbacks also had a stranded runner in the fifth and sixth innings.
Burris knocked home a pair of insurance runs on a bases-loaded single to right for Fort Smith in the sixth inning.
Zhao was 2 for 3 with a triple, Garmany was 2 for 4 with a double, and Burrell was 3 for 4 with a double.
In the earlier games, Little Rock beat Russellville, 7-2, and Paragould eliminated Cabot, 10-0 in five innings.
Razorbacks 003 000 0 - 3 10 0
Fort Smith 004 002 x - 6 8 3
Kade Garmany and AY Heard. Braiden Partin, Ryan Daggs (7) and Clay Cross. WP-Partin. LP-Garmany. HR: FS-Daggs, 3rd, 2 on.