Sarah Evans and Raven Loveless each clubbed home runs as the Bryant Lady Hornets clubbed the Fort Smith Northside Lady Bears, 12-1 in five innings on Wednesday night to improve to 21-2 overall and 8-0 in 7A-Central Conference play.
Half of Bryant’s 12 hits went for extra bases with Regan Ryan and Meagan Chism joining Evans and Loveless with two hits each. Evans, Alissa Suarez and Maddie Thompson cracked doubles and Ryan added a triple.
Loveless went the distance in the circle for the Lady Hornets, allowing a run on six hits.
It was Bryant’s 22ndconsecutive conference win dating back to the last league contest of 2016.
The Lady Hornets play again on Thursday at home against non-conference rival, Benton. They’re set to host Rogers and Benton Harmony Grove on Saturday before returning to conference play on Tuesday, April 17, against Mount St. Mary Academy in Sherwood.
On Wednesday, the Lady Hornets built a 7-0 lead with three in the second and four in the third before Northside got on the board in the top of the fourth. A five-run outburst in the bottom of the inning made it a run-rule lead that held up when the Lady Bears managed no more than a two-out single in the top of the fifth.
Bryant’s second-inning outburst began with Loveless getting plunked by a pitch from Northside’s Hailey Upton. Brooklyn Trammell walked on four pitches then so did Thompson to load the bases. Sydney Green relieved for the Lady Bears and retired the next two batters and came within a strike of getting out of the inning unscathed before Ryan cleared the bases with her triple.
In the third, Evans led off with a double to the opposite field. Chism singled then Loveless unloaded for a three-run blast to left to make it 6-0.
The inning continued with Trammell working another free pass. She took second on a passed ball, third on a sacrifice by Thompson then scored with two down when Suarez laced a double to center.
Northside’s run in the top of the fourth was a result of a one-out single by Hannah Entrekin, a double by Green and a sacrifice fly by Jaleyia Perry. The Lady Bears stranded runners at second and third.
In the home fifth, Maddie Stephens was issued a walk but was caught stealing ahead of Evans’ home run. Base hits by Chism, Loveless and Trammell produced a run then Thompson made it 11-1 with a two-run double. Regan Keesee singled in Thompson to make it an even dozen.
