Two weeks after being snowed in and a week after heavy downpours, baseball weather greeted Southeast Arkansas College to the diamond on a late January day.
El Dorado’s South Arkansas College then welcomed SEARK to its baseball debut with a 7-run first inning. That alone would have been enough for the Stars in their 13-6 win Tuesday at the Relyance Bank Athletic Complex’s Eddie Bryan Field.
SouthArk closed a doubleheader with an 11-4, 9-inning win.
“I think the guys were excited, but we were just a little hesitant at the start,” SEARK Coach Toby Cornejo said. “We had wide-eyed freshmen. It’s their first time, so we can’t get too down. We’ve got to keep coaching them up and if we clean up that first inning, we have ourselves a ballgame.”
Steven Bloomberg, who will officially step down as SEARK’s president in about two weeks, delivered the ceremonial first pitch. The establishment of an athletic program, which began competition Monday with the softball team’s sweep of Mississippi Delta Community College, is one of his signature accomplishments at the Pine Bluff college.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
SouthArk plated six earned runs in the first inning to keep SEARK chasing all game. Kyle Tolley walked in a run, Alex Showalter doubled in 2 runs and Gabe Kuttenkuler plated 3 runs on a single during the 11-batter inning. Another run came on a fielder’s choice.
SEARK Starter Dominik Tizzano struck out 3 and walked 5 in 2 innings, but Owen Stover cooled off the SouthArk bats by striking out his first 2 batters and ringing up a third in the fifth inning. He held the Stars to 3 hits in 4 innings, although one of those was a 2-run homer by Gavin Murphy (2 for 3) in the sixth.
“Owen’s been that way for us,” Cornejo said. “He’ll probably be a weekend guy for us. … He did a great job for us. He quieted down and allowed us to crawl back in a little bit.”
The Sharks sliced their deficit down to 7-3 in a 4-hit third after Camden Carver sent 2 runs across the plate on a double and another scored on a fielder’s choice. Murphy’s sixth-inning shot put the Stars up by 7 runs, but runs on a bases-loaded hit batsman, walk and wild pitch in the sixth drew the Sharks within 10-6.
That margin became 13-6 after a run scored on a sacrifice bunt and Kuttenkuler plated 2 more runs with his second single.
Will Turner earned the victory after allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits for the Stars, who had 7 total hits to SEARK’s 6.
SouthArk scored 6 runs in the ninth inning of the second game to ensure the sweep.
SEARK is scheduled for home doubleheaders against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid starting at 1 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
Gatlon Steele of Southeast Arkansas College pulls up at third base on a hit to load the bases in the third inning of its baseball debut against South Arkansas College on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at Eddie Bryan Field. Steele collected the first hit in SEARK’s baseball history. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)