EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Freshman Mistica Phillips belted a two-run homer — the first over-the-fence round-tripper ever at the Bryant High School field — to highlight an 11-1 Lady Hornets’ win over the Camden Fairview Lady Cardinals Tuesday.
Phillips’ blast capped a five-run fifth inning that put the Lady Hornets in command. She, Jenna White and Stephanie Kennedy each had two hits in the game for Bryant which improved to 16-5 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
The Lady Hornets may have another win in both categories pending a ruling by the Arkansas Activities Association on a game scheduled against Little Rock McClellan. After a rainy day, the Lady Hornets arrived at Interstate Park to play the game having not heard anything about a cancellation from McClellan. But the Lady Lions didn’t show up. McClellan officials contend the game was cancelled and should be made up but the Lady Hornets insist that it’s a forfeit since McClellan didn’t show up and didn’t notify Bryant that the game was called off.
The Lady Hornets are scheduled to play Little Rock Parkview in a league game in Little Rock today.
In Tuesday’s win, the Lady Hornets led 1-0 for the first three innings. The run came in the bottom of the first when Stephanie Kennedy belted a lead-off triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrea Hammock.
Fairview threatened in the second with lead-off singles by Lacey Lester and Samantha Goss. But Goss was retired on a force out with a nifty play turned in by Bryant first baseman Stacy Workman. Veronica Lewis then smacked a liner that Bryant third baseman Meagan Clancy speared. Clancy threw to first, catching Charlsie McKinney off the bag for an inning-ending double play.
The Lady Hornets finally got their bats cranked up in the bottom of the fourth. White singled then Phillips bounced one past the Fairview third baseman for a two-base error. Clancy then drove both runs home with a single to left, hustling to second herself when the throw from the outfield came into third.
She advanced to third when Workman’s popup was dropped then scored to make it 4-1 when Kim Adams flew out to right.
Fairview managed its lone run in the top of the fifth. Lester singled, Goss reached safelty on an error and McKinney singled to load the bases. The Lady Hornets then turned a double play for the first two outs of the inning as Lester scored. Tamara Green then bounced back to the pitcher, White, to retire the side.
In response, the Lady Hornets muscled up. With two down, Kelly Bennett singled. Kennedy then split the outfielders in right with a drive and circled the bases for a homer. Hammock followed with a drive to the fence in left-center for a homer to make it 7-1.
White almost made it three in a row but had to settle for a triple. Phillips followed with her blast over the fence in left.
After retiring the Lady Cardinals despite an error in the top of the sixth, the Lady Hornets put an end to the contest (in accordance with the 10-run rule) with two in the bottom of the frame. Workman singled to start things. She was forced out at second on a grounder to third by Adams but Tiffany Kennedy’s grounder to short was booted and Nikki Turpin singled to load the bases. Elise Snider then ended it with a pinch-hit, two-run single.
