TODD TRAUB
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Joe Jester won the battle of former Arkansas Razorbacks, but Jason Stephens won the war.
    Stephens, the former Hog from Springhill, La., pitched eight strong innings as the Arkansas Travelers beat the Shreveport Swamp Dragons 7-3 before 2,330 at Ray Winder Field on Friday night.
    Jester, the former Hog from Ashdown, was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs, including the Swamp Dragons' first of the game.
    But Jester was about the only problem Stephens (5-5) had as he evened his record. A right-hander who spent 1996 as a reliever with the Razorbacks, Stephens scattered 6 hits, gave up 2 runs, struck out 6 and walked 1.
    "When he comes up to bat, you want to get him out; there's kind of a little rivalry there," said Stephens about Jester, who played three years at Arkansas before he was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco Giants in 1999.
    Shreveport starter Ryan Cox (4-8) took the loss.
    Stephens, who transferred to Arkansas from Bossier Parish Junior College, was taken by the Anaheim Angels in the ninth round of the 1996 draft after his lone season in Fayetteville.
    Though the two never met in Baum Stadium, they have been able to compare notes on their old school since meeting in Class AA ball.
    "The last time we were in town I saw him at the gym and we met for the first time," Jester said. "We kind of talked about some things. It was kind of fun. I'd heard of him but I'd never played against him."
    "He got me tonight," Stephens said. "I hung some pitches and he hit a couple doubles off me so I tip my hat to him, he's a good hitter."
    Stephens said he wanted to pitch in the SEC because he felt that would prove if he had the stuff to play professional ball. Jester felt the same way.
    "It taught me a lot," Jester said. "Basically it made me into a player that was able to get drafted."
    Stephens was 3-1 with a 3.61 ERA and a team-high nine saves at Arkansas and Jester batted .300 or better his sophomore and junior years, hitting 10 home runs as a junior.
    Despite his success Friday, Jester wouldn't consider the possibility that he might have Stephens figured out.
    "It's too soon to say," Jester said.
    Jester doubled and scored on Jeremy Luster's single in the first. He added another single in the seventh, making him 2 for 3 against Stephens, and doubled into the left-field corner off reliever Joel Perlata in the ninth, scoring on Luster's groundout.
    "I had a couple at-bats where I hit the ball off the barrel and kind of found some holes," Jester said. "We had a lot of guys hit the ball hard tonight, it just seemed like I was the only one finding the holes, so I guess sometimes it's better to be lucky."
    But the Swamp Dragons' offense was held mostly silent thanks to Stephens and the Travs' defense.
    Stephens allowed just three more base runners, with two erased by double plays, before he gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Luther and a single to Julio Cordido in the eighth. Luther scored on a fielder's choice, and Stephens was replaced by Peralta to start the ninth.
    Peralta was the Midwest League's saves leader with 23 at Class A Cedar Rapids before he was promoted. Friday was his first game with the Travs and he struck out Luther to end the game after giving up a run and two hits.
    "I know I can throw here, that's what I want to do," Peralta said. "I'm ready for this."
    Left fielder Derick Urquhart entered the night hitting .251 but was batting a team-best .452 against Shreveport. He continued his role as the team dragonslayer with his three-run home run in the bottom of the first to drive in Chone Figgins, who reached on an error, and Robb Quinlan, who reached on an infield single.
    "I can't explain it," Urquhart said of his success against Shreveport. "I don't know. That's baseball for you. I can't explain those things."
    Quinlan singled and scored in the fourth as the bottom of the Travs' order went to work. Jason Huisman, the No. 6 hitter, singled with one out to advance Quinlan to third, Elpidio Guzman followed with a single to score Quinlan, catcher Jason Hill singled to drive in Huisman and Brian Specht tripled into the right-field corner to score Hill and make it 6-1.
    Hill doubled in the sixth and scored on Specht's double off the right-field wall to make it 7-1.
   
SHREVEPORT AB R H RBI ARKANSAS AB R H RBI
    Byas, cf 3 0 0 0 Haynes, cf 5 0 1 0
    Walker, cf 1 0 0 1 Figgins, 2b 4 1 0 0
    Castro, ss 3 0 0 0 Johnson, dh 3 0 0 0
    Strankman, ss 1 0 0 0 Quinlan, 1b 4 2 1 0
    Jester, 2b 4 2 3 0 Urquhart, lf 3 1 1 3
    Luster, 1b 4 0 1 2 Huisman, 3b 4 1 1 0
    Pernalete, dh 3 0 0 0 Guzman, rf 4 0 1 1
    Moreta, rf 4 0 2 0 Hill, c 4 2 2 1
    Luther, c 4 1 1 0 Specht, ss 4 0 3 2
    Clark, lf 3 0 0 0
    Cordido, 3b 3 0 1 0
   
TOTALS 33 3 8 3 TOTALS 35 7 11 7

    Shreveport Swamp Dragons 100 000 011 -- 3 8 2
    Arkansas Travelers 300 301 00x -- 7 11 0

    E -- Castro, Strankman. DP -- Arkansas 2. LOB-- Shreveport 4, Arkansas 6. 2B -- Jester 2, Luther, Hill, Specht. 3B -- Specht. HR -- Urquhart (65). CS-- Guzman.

   
SHREVEPORT IP H R ER BB SO
    Cox L, 4-8 5 8 6 3 1 1
    Miller 3 3 1 1 0 0

   
ARKANSAS
    Stephens W, 5-5 8 6 2 2 1 6
    Peralta 1 2 1 1 0 1

    HBP -- by Cox (Johnson). PB-- Hill. Umpires -- Home: Villenueve; First: Clanton; Third: Van Raaphorst. Time -- 2:20. Attendance -- 2,330
   

This article was published on Saturday, August 4, 2001