Lady Hornets rally, win debut
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WHITE HALL — Bryant Lady Hornets softball coach Stacy Mallett may have a young team this season but she found out in their season-opener Tuesday that it’s a team with grit.
The Lady Hornets rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 12-9 deficit on the way to a 15-13 victory over the White Hall Lady Bulldogs.
Senior Kim Adams, one of the few returning starters, went 4-for-4 to lead a 24-hit attack in which each of the top nine batters in the Lady Hornet order hit .500 or better.
“I was really pleased with the hitting,” Mallett said. “And I was real pleased with the way they came back and won especially as young as we are.”
The Lady Hornets led most of the game but fell victim to a six-run sixth inning outburst by White Hall that produced the 12-9 lead. Down to their last two outs, the Lady Hornets fired up the comeback. Freshman Andrea Hammock got the rally started with a single. Senior Jenna White followed with an RBI double. Adams walked then sophomore Kelly Bennett belted a run-scoring double.
An intentional walk to Mandy Chivers loaded the bases for freshman Stacy Workman who tied the game with a clutch base hit. Junior Stephanie Kennedy then snapped the tie with an RBI single that drove in Sara Medlin, pinch-running for Bennett. Elise Snider and Meagan Clancy followed with hits that padded the lead.
White Hall managed a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Lady Hornets held on for the victory.
“We had some breakdowns on defense,” Mallett noted. “But our field has been wet and we haven’t been able to get any defensive work in for five days. But we’re young and when we get more work in, we’ll improve.”
The Lady Hornets actually broke fast, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. Hammock reached base on an error to start the game. An out later, singles by Adams and Bennett produced the first run. Chivers walked to load the bases and Workman delivered a run with a sacrifice fly. Kennedy singled in a run and, after Snider walked, Clancy completed the scoring with a run-scoring single.
White Hall countered with a three-run first, however, then tied it at 5 with two more tallies in the bottom of the third.
The Lady Hornets snapped the deadlock in the top of the fourth when Workman singled, Kennedy cracked a triple and scored on a base hit by Snider.
After holding the Lady Bulldogs scoreless in the bottom of the inning, Bryant added two more in the top of the fifth. One-out singles by White and Adams set the table. With two down, Chivers and Workman produced the run-scoring hits.
White Hall whittled a run off the 9-5 lead in the bottom of the inning before claiming the lead in the home sixth.
The Lady Hornets were scheduled to continue an early-season run of road games with visits to Sylvan Hills today and to Pine Bluff on Friday. They travel to Arkansas Baptist in Little Rock on Monday before playing their home opener (and first conference game) Tuesday against Little Rock McClellan.
