Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sophomore’s home run gives Conway early jolt
BENTON — Will Thompson held off on a bat flip, waiting to see if the stiff breeze would take his ball the rest of the way.
Coach Leighton Hardin didn’t have to give it a second look. He knew it was sneaking over the right-field wall.
Thompson’s three- run first-inning blast keyed Conway’s early offense, carrying the Wampus Cats to a 10-7 win against Bentonville in the Class 6A state championship game Thursday at Everett Field. The sophomore first baseman went 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs and 4 RBI as Conway collected its third championship in school history and its first since 2011.
But back up 15 days to the Wampus Cats’ penultimate regular-season contest when Thompson wasn’t even in the lineup.
Only after Prestyn Ribbing suffered a broken foot did Hardin slide Thompson into his starting nine, setting up the opportunity for a moment Thompson called “a dream come true.”
“That [ home run] was probably at-bat number 15 on the year for him,” Hardin said. “We knew Will would be able to hit. But he’s only a sophomore, so for him, it was kind of [waiting] his turn.
“Then his turn came up and he ended up producing.”
The Tigers, trailing 4- 0 after the opening frame, capitalized when Conway (20-9) switched pitchers in the third, bringing Hugh Hill in for starter Austin Rainey.
Bentonville (22-11) drew to within 4-3 when junior designated hitter Stephon Gryskiewicz singled through the hole at second base — only for the Wampus Cats to answer in the home half of the third.
Thompson kept the rally going with an RBI single after Rainey and Zach Szuba each doubled ahead of him, and Conway batted around, scoring five runs on five hits to take a 9-3 lead.
Although the Tigers again cut into the Wampus Cat advantage with four runs in the top of the fourth — Luke Crumpler cleared the bases with a double down the right-field line and scored on a sacrifice fly two batters later — Bentonville never led in the game.
“These guys battled. The way they came together here this last week-and-a-half or so has been something special,” Bentonville Coach Todd Abbott said. “We’d score runs and we couldn’t come back and throw up another zero. That makes it tough.”
Conway added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn’t necessary for state tournament MVP Rainey.
After tossing two scoreless, hitless innings to start the game, the 6-1 senior trotted out to center, manning Benton’s deep outfield until he was summoned back to the mound with two outs in the fourth.
Rainey allowed 2 hits over those final 3 1/3 innings and retired 6 of the last 7 batters he faced.
“That takes guts,” Hardin said. “When they put up four, we knew what it was at that point. All we had to do is get nine more outs and they did.”
While the Wampus Cats had reached the playoffs every year since 1991, they arrived at Benton having won two titles in nine tries.
Both of them came under longtime coach Noel Boucher, who Hardin replaced at the start of the 2021 season.
The 37- year- old coach needed two seasons to make it 3 for 10. It was fitting he got plenty of help from a player who only arrived last year as well.
“Conway is a big school and they’re the best of the best,” Thompson said. “Being able to contribute and be a part of this ballclub is just amazing.”