By Bridget Bauer
Playing in northwest Arkansas on Friday and Saturday gave Bryant Coach Debbie Clark the measure of her team for which she was looking.
The Lady Hornets (9-4) defeated Fayetteville, 6-3, Friday night then split a doubleheader Saturday with Farmington. Bryant won the first contest, 13-3, and lost the second, 3-2. Besides going 2-1, Clark was able to see how her team stacks up with competition in northwest Arkansas, particularly in the 7A-West. Also, the junior varsity squad played against both Fayetteville and Farmington.
“I loved it,” Clark said. “It was great competition against great coaches. We had some good things happen but also still need to work on some things. It was two good days.”
Bentonville is considered the team to beat in the 7A-West. In addition to Fayetteville, the Lady Hornets have also defeated 7A-West foe Rogers. Although not a member of the 7A-West, Farmington is a solid program with several State titles.
“Going 2-1, I’ll take that,” Clark said. “Both coaches said if we play like we did this weekend, we can stack up well against the 7A-West. The girls needed to hear that, and it gave them more confidence.”
Against Fayetteville, Bryant never trailed and owned a 6-0 lead before the Lady Bulldogs tallied their three runs. Piling up 10 hits, Breanna Sanders pace the Lady Hornets with a double and two singles. Kaley Coppock finished with a double and a single with Katy Stillman, Macey Jaramillo, Julie Ward, Tori Hernandez and Jordan Williams all adding a hit apiece.
In the first matchup with Farmington, the Lady Hornets scored all their runs in the first two innings with the catalyst being an 11-run production in the second. Totaling seven hits in the stanza, Bryant was paced by Sanders’ two-RBI double with Miranda Mayfield chipping in an RBI double. Jaramillo, Coppock, Ward and Abby Staton all contributed run-scoring singles with Coppock also plating a run on her fielder’s choice.
Staton picked up the pitching win in both contests. Against Fayetteville, she gave up five hits, struck out four batters and gave up four walks. In the Farmington contest, she relinquished eight hits while striking out one batter and walking one.
“Abby did a good job, and I’m real proud of her,” Clark said. “She still needs to learn not to take an error to the next batter.”
In the second contest with Lady Cardinals, Bryant took a 2-1 lead after two innings but lost it in the bottom of the fifth frame when Farmington scored two runs. Jordan Williams took the loss and gave up just three hits while striking out six batters and walking two. The Lady Hornets tallied six hits with Stillman and Ward slapping two apiece. Ward, Jaramillo and Mayfield all recorded doubles.
“Jordan pitched a heck of a game and good enough to win,” Clark said. “I told the girls as a pitcher you get tired of hearing you pitched good enough to win. That means they have to take care of things behind her.”
Bryant resumes conference play Monday with a make-up game at Sheridan and then hosts Texarkana on Tuesday.
