Lady Tigers pounce in late innings to put away Rogers
Posted on Wednesday, May 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/Sports/61579/
BENTONVILLE — Bentonville won Tuesday’s 7 A-West Conference softball game against Rogers, but both coaches can claim momentum entering this weekend’s Class 7 A State Tournament in Russellville.
All-State pitcher Faith Lund threw a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts and also added a two-run triple in the decisive fifth inning to help the Lady Tigers to a 6-0 win against the Lady Mounties.
Brittney O’Reilly went 3 for 3 with a run scored for the Lady Tigers (22-3, 13-3 in 7 AWest ), who finish the regular season tied with Van Buren for second but are the No. 2 seed to state. Their first game in Russellville is at 1: 45 p. m. Saturday at Hickey Park.
“ That’s what you want to see going into a state tournament is a good, competitive game, ” BHS coach Kent Early said afterward. “ It was good stuff. Both teams played hard. ”
Rogers (11-20, 6-8 ) is the No. 5 seed and plays at 4 p. m. Friday, also at Hickey Park. The Lady Mounties played inspired, their coach said, and were locked in a scoreless game entering the fifth.
“ We gave great effort, ” Rogers coach Mike Harper said. “ We played hard … real hard. That was the best effort we’ve given all year. Not necessarily the best we’ve played but the best effort all year.
“ We go down (to Russellville ) with that kind of focus we can win a firstround game and then maybe get on a roll. ”
Rogers pitcher Katie Walker also had a two-hitter working after four innings, which, with a break here or there, would have been good enough for a lead.
But in the fifth the Lady Tigers finally pounced with 4 runs on 4 hits to take command.
O’Reilly started the rally with a one-out single and Meg McGuirt and Jackie Saumweber followed with bunts to load the bases for shortstop Tandie Bailey. She grounded to short but the throw to the plate was too late to get O’Reilly. The ball then squirted away to the backstop allowing McGuirt to score for a 2-0 lead.
Lund then sent a deep drive to right field that missed clearing the fence by two feet. That drove in 2 more runs for a 4-0 lead.
“ I’ve said it before; she’s just a competitor, ” Early said. “ She gets after it. That was a big hit for us. ”
Lund then retired the side in order in the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh after issuing a leadoff walk to Ashley Wise.
Britni Koosman led off the sixth with a triple and her courtesy runner (Erin Reardon ) scored on a squeeze bunt by Emily Todd for a 5-0 lead. Todd’s courtesy runner (Alexandria Cooper ) later scored from second on an infield error.
Harper lamented too many missed chances by his team to score first, which could’ve put a different slant on the game. Jessy Cheval led off the third with a triple but was left stranded. In the fifth, Ashley Cook reached on an error to start the inning and Ashley Brown walked with two outs. Chase Todd then hit a grounder sharply toward second, but Bailey fielded on the move and fired to first to end the inning.
The Lady Mounties also left a baserunner stranded at second in the first inning and had a runner thrown out at third to end the second.
“ There’s no doubt it changes the game if we get a run in first, ” Harper said. “ It would have definitely changed our mindset and theirs, too, a little bit. We had opportunities the first three innings but just couldn’t get the bit hit. ”
The defense, however, sparkled for the Lady Mounties. Catcher Kayla Brown threw out a baserunner at third in the first inning and right fielder Katelin Kenney gunned out a BHS runner at home plate to end the second. Jordan Hames was trying to score from second after a solid single by Dodd.