ASHDOWN, Ark. - Ashdown and Harding Academy went down the wire in the Class 3A semifinals of the Arkansas state tournament Saturday at Panther Field in Ashdown City Park.
Harding Academy scored the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to trim the Panthers, 6-5, before a large home field crowd.
"They (Harding) scored on a wild pitch," said Ashdown coach Chuck Cross. "It was tough way to lose it, but in my opinion, it was the state championship between the two best teams who wound up in the same bracket. The other bracket wasn't nearly as tough."
The Panthers (21-12) trailed the Wildcats (23-5) 5-0 after three innings. Ashdown then scored two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings and another in the sixth to tie the score at 5-all.
Ashdown didn't score in its half of the seventh. Harding scored the decisive run in the bottom of the final inning.
"Our kids didn't give up and they battled hard the entire game," Cross said. "It's hard and disappointing to lose like we did, but our kids put on a good show before our home fans. It was a fun game to watch, even though we wish we hadn't lost."
Both teams finished with five hits. Ashdown's Jaxon Jester and Derek Hilton had two hits in four at-bats and Hilton had an RBI. Leland Garrett, Alex Keilbach and Spencer Patterson also had an RBI for the Panthers.
Harding Academy advances to the 3A state championship game against Walnut Ridge, which blasted Benton Harmony Grove, 11-0, in its semifinal game Saturday.