Lady Hornets win despite quiet bats
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
Perhaps still a reeling a little from their 6-3 loss at Benton that knocked them out of second place in the AAAAA-South Conference — “that and prom,” added head coach Stacy Mallett — the Bryant Lady Hornets managed just two hits against the Pine Bluff Fillies on Monday, April 22. Yet, they found a way to win, 2-1, as the Fillies mustered just three safeties themselves.
The win started a busy week for the Lady Hornets who, thanks to early season rainouts, faced their final four conference contests in the span of five days.
“They took a blow last week at Benton,” Mallett allowed. “We’ll see what kind of character they have this week, if they can come back from it or not. That (today) wasn’t good enough.”
Bryant was set to travel to Sheridan on Tuesday, Lake Hamilton on Thursday and Pine Bluff on Friday. Mallett asserted that the Lady Hornets’ play will have to improve for it to be a successful week.
“We should’ve hit a lot better than that tonight,” she said. “I’m kind of disappointed in our showing. We should’ve teed off on that pitching. That should’ve been a hitter’s dream, facing pitching like that. (Pine Bluff pitcher Jean Cicero) was just trying to pitch strikes, maybe 50 miles an hour. It should’ve been batting practice for us. They just weren’t concentrating. They were getting up there and not adjusting to what they’re seeing.
“The defense was solid,” she added, “it’s just the mental aspect of the game that’s bothering us right now a little bit. I told them they have (Tuesday at Sheridan) to work it out themselves or I’ll work it out for them.”
Defense actually proved to be the difference in Monday’s game. The only errors were Pine Bluff’s and they came in the first inning when the Lady Hornets took the lead. With two down, Andrea Hammock’s grounder to short drew a bad throw to first, allowing her to reach safely. Misti Phillips followed with a liner to left that just about took the glove off of Rashunda Robinson then went to the fence. Hammock scored and Phillips wound up at third. Jeanne Randall walked and courtesy runner Ashley Grappe swiped second but both runners were stranded.
Pine Bluff tied it with their only run in the second. Kelanna Simmons singled to right, Ashley Sargent walked then a pair of wild pitches brought Simmons around to score.
Bryant countered with what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the inning. A one-out walk to Allison Mitchem started things. Aleshia Joyce entered as a pinch-runner and stole second before Rachel Blakley beat out a bunt single. Joyce went to third then Blakley stole second. Lindsey Sullivan got a bunt down that Sargent, Pine Bluff’s first baseman, charged in an fielded. She turned to throw to first but Cicero, the pitcher, was in her way. She turned back to see Joyce racing for the plate and threw there. But the throw was not only too hard, it was too late for catcher Morgan Maxwell to do anything with.
Despite having runners on second and third at that point, the Lady Hornets could score no more. Cicero and the Fillies retired every Bryant batter after that, 14 in a row to end the game.
After working around a two-out single in the top of the third, Phillips issued a walk to Simmons to lead off the fourth. A passed ball allowed her to reach second and when Sargent grounded to Stacy Workman at first, Simmons advanced to third with one out. But Phillips got Masherrl Conger to pop to Sullivan at second then struck out Carla Jones to end the threat.
The Fillies got a runner to second in the sixth but no further as Bryant closed out the win by retiring the last five in a row.
