SHERIDAN -- Six early runs put Lakeside in control and the Rams held on to beat Crossett 7-5 Friday night in the first round of the American Legion Class AA baseball tournament at the Sheridan Sports Complex.
Lakeside (13-5) plays at noon today against River Valley Tropics, a 15-5 winner over Stuttgart.
The Rams scored two runs in each of the first three innings for a 6-1 lead. Brandon Hall had a sacrifice fly in the first and RBI double in the second, and Tanner Rice scored in both innings after two of his three singles. Reece Nickles had a run-scoring single in the third.
"We were doing some good things early," Lakeside coach Leighton Hardin said. "We got tired, quit focusing and made a lot of mistakes."
Johnathan Barmore pitched five innings for the win. He allowed a run in the first on a double steal, then sailed through three scoreless innings before Crossett scored three in the fifth.
Rice singled in the bottom half, stole second and scored on Hall's groundout for a 7-4 lead.
Kyle Lightsey worked a scoreless sixth before allowing two hits and a run on a wild pitch in the seventh. He walked Dakota Fitche to put the tying run on, but catcher Zac Melugin threw out Keith Pippen trying to steal third on ball four.
Rice and Nickels both went three for four, and Andrew Spakes and Blake Spilker were each two for four.
Crossett;100;030;1 - 5;8;2
Lakeside;222;010;x - 7;11;2
Pippen, Thurman (3) and Huff. Barmore, Lightsey (6) and Aguirre, Melugin (5). WP-Barmore. LP-Pippen. Save-Lightsey. 3B-Cross: Gregory. 2B-Cross: Huff; L'side: Hall. S-Cross: Thurman. SF-L'side: Hall. SB: Cross: Ellis, Gregory, Monroe, Huff; L'side: Rice 2, Spolker.
Sports on 07/25/2015