Pioneers Split on Senior Day

Pioneers Split on Senior Day- Wil Tegaue, Sports Information Director, 4/17/26

Pioneer Baseball split in today's opening doubleheader against the Trojans of HLGU, falling in game one 13-6 before roaring to life and blasting their way to a 20-3 win in game two.

Game One: (7-inning)

Crowley's Ridge- 6

Hannibal-LaGrange- 13

Paragould, AR- HLGU snuck out a game one win over the Pioneers, despite CRC out-hitting the Trojans eleven to ten in the contest. The Pioneers faced an uphill battle from the get-go, after Hannibal opened the scoring in the top of the first, exposing two Pioneer errors and plating four runners.

Senior Kolby Webb responded for the Pioneers in the bottom half of the first to spark three Pioneer runs with a 2 RBI double in the inning before aiding the Pioneer offense even more with a solo home run in the third.

In the fourth inning, Aiden Smith and Lawson DeVault each would plate a run to allow the Pioneers to wash away all Trojan progress, tying the contest six-all. Painfully, HLGU would turn on the afterburners offensively, finding two homeruns and seven more runs over the next three innings to pull away from the Pioneers and claim the contest.

Aiden Smith led the Pioneers, going 4-4 with two runs scored, and Webb followed, going 2-4, driving in three. Haygan Henry suffered the loss for the Pioneers. 

Game Two: (7-inning)

Crowley's Ridge- 20

Hannibal-LaGrange- 3

Paragould, AR- Game two, the Pioneer offense would muster the same hit total as the series opener, but would see a drastic run support difference on the scoreboard thanks to seven extra base hits, including four homers. 

CRC scored in every frame except one, and was led by Reece Bariola, who went 2-4, blasting two homeruns, and driving in a team-high 5 RBIs. Junior Aiden Smith followed, going 2-4, also with a homer and 3 RBIs. Junior JP Wills joined Bariola and Smith in the homerun club with a 2-run blast in the fifth, going 2-2, and extending his single-season homerun record to ten, being the first Pioneer to ever hit double-digit homers in a season.

Crafton Beeler added 3 RBI to his season total, delivering a bases-clearing double in a pinch-hit at-bat in the fifth inning. Junior Landen Kizer and sophomore Lawson DeVault rounded out the multi-RBI effort, with each driving in two runs in the win. 

DeVault also made history at the plate, collecting 2 HBPs; he surpassed teammate Rilyn Coleman's mark of 16 to set a new single-season program record with 18 hit-by-pitches.  Parker Gordon earned the win from the mound, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing 2 runs off 3 hits while striking out 4. 

Up Next: The Pioneers will wrap up their three-game series against HLGU with a final 9-inning contest starting tomorrow at 2:00 PM. #GOPIONEERS

Photo Credit: Paige Glenn