The No. 5 seed Benton Tigers fell to No. 1 Live Oak 3-0 in Game 1 of their best-of-3 semifinal series Thursday at Live Oak.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday at 1. Live Oak improved to 31-6. Benton dropped to 35-5.
Thursday’s game was basically a pitchers’ duel.
Live Oak’s Sawyer Pruitt, a Louisiana signee, pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and three walks. Benton’s Thomas Allen gave up four hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Live Oak (31-6) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to an error, wild pitch and a bunt.
Benton’s best chance to put a run on the board came in the top of the fifth.
Kannon Greer drew a walk with two outs. Brody Turnipseed singled. Kade Bryant was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But Pruitt ended the threat with a strikeout.
The Eagles added two runs in the sixth on a walk, two singles, an error and a sacrifice bunt.
Griffin Sibley led off the top of the seventh with a single, but Pruitt struck out the next three batters.