File photo by Rick Nation
CABOT — A Buddha blast and shutout pitching by Christine Mefford sparked a 7-0 victory for the Bryant Lady Hornets over the Bentonville West Lady Wolverines at the Class 6A State Tournament on Friday.
The Lady Hornets advance to the State semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., against the 6A-West champion Bentonville Lady Tigers, a 7-1 winner over Fort Smith Northside on Friday. The winner advances to the State championship game next week in Benton.
Bryant improved to 25-6 on the season, the number two seed from the 6A-Central Conference.
Bentonville West had defeated Bryant 2-1 back on March 12 when the season was just getting under way.
This time, the Lady Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and, behind strong defense and Mefford’s pitching, that lead held up the rest of the game. Regan “Buddha” Dillon took a lot of the tension out of the game in the bottom of the fifth when she jolted a three-run homer.
The Lady Hornets tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth.
Mefford scattered six singles and walked three. But the game didn’t start out great for her. A single by Marybeth Dyson and a walk to Sarah Cooper had the Lady Wolverines thinking about an early lead. But Mefford struck out Carlee Durham, got Ryan Rassi to foul out to Dillon, the Bryant catcher, then fanned Laynee Tapp to get out of the jam.
And her teammates responded in the bottom of the inning to take that early lead. Alissa Suarez drew a lead-off walk then Macy Hoskins’ grounder to second was booted. A passed ball put runners at second and third for Abby Gentry who yanked a single into left to drive both home.
With one out in the top of the second, Cierra Cravens reached on Bryant’s lone error of the game. But Dillon erased the baserunner by picking her off first. Cravens took off for second and first baseman Leah Hicks fired to Suarez in time for the tag.
Mefford fanned Bailey Steele to retire the side.
After Bryant was set down in order in the bottom of the inning, Bentonville West cold only muster a lead-off hit by Grace Cordell. She stole second and advanced to third on Dyson’s groundout. After Cooper walked, the Lady Wolverines tried a double steal. Dillon fired to Suarez at second who returned the throw to the plate in time for the second out. Durham popped to Gentry at third to send it to the bottom of the inning.
In the fourth, Tapp beat out an infield hit but was stranded. Mefford singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth then Mefford pitched around a two-out single on the infield by Dyson.
Suarez singled to center to open the bottom of the fifth. Hoskins reached on an error then, with one out, Dillon unloaded with a drive to center to make it 5-0.
In the top of the sixth, Durham singled to right then Rassi hit a grounder to the right side. Bryant tried to get a force at second, but Durham beat the play.
Mefford came back with a strikeout of Tapp then got Caroline Wilhelm on a comebacker as the runners moved up to second and third. Cravens walked to fill the sacks, but Steele grounded out to Bella Herring at short for an inning-ending force at second.
The Lady Hornets tacked on in the bottom of the sixth when, with one out, Marissa Bracey reached on an error by Steele at first. Emma Bonvillain stroked a single to center and, when Bracey drew a throw by going to third, Bonvillain hustled into second to set the table for Suarez, who delivered a single to center that made it 7-0.
All the Lady Wolverines could muster in the top of the seventh was a two-out bloop single to right by Cooper. Mefford got the final out when Durham grounded to Herring.
