Lady Hornets bury Atkins, Alma to open Rumble
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue 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).
VAN BUREN — In seven innings, the Bryant Lady Hornets amassed 24 runs on 25 hits including[more] 11 doubles and five home runs by five different players as they buried their first two foes in the River City Rumble softball tournament at Field of Dreams Athletic Complex Friday.
Bryant opened with a 13-1 thumping of the Atkins Lady Red Devils in four innings then took only three to run-rule the Alma Lady Airdales.
The Lady Hornets were set for a rematch with the Vilonia Lady Eagles in the bracket final this morning at 10:30 then advance to the eight-team single-elimination tournament at 3 p.m., against Waldron, Fort Smith Southside, Alma or Bentonville, depending on results today.
Against Atkins on Friday, Katy Stillman’s grand slam capped off the romp after the Lady Hornets had taken a 9-0 lead in the first inning when Peyton Jenkins and Kaley Coppock ripped round-trippers. Stillman, Jenkins, Coppock and Jenna Bruick each had two hits.
Jenkins pitched a 1-2-3 first then gave way to freshman Jordan Williams who allowed one run on four hits the rest of the way. She struck out six without a walk.
Bruick started the game with a double and scored on a one-out two-bagger by Jessie Taylor. Kayla Sory doubled as courtesy runner Kayla Jolley held at third on the grounder to left.
Jolley scored when Cassidy Wilson reached on an error then Coppock smashed her three-run shot to center.
With two down, Stillman reached on an error and scored on a double by McKenzie Rice. Bruick walked then Jenkins blasted her three-run bomb to left to make it 9-0.
It stayed that way until the top of the fourth when Wilson singled, Coppock doubled, Carly Yazza walked and Stillman belted her slam to center.
A double, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly produced Atkins’ lone run in the bottom of the fourth before Williams closed out the win with back-to-back strikeouts.
Against Alma, Taylor and Wilson belted home runs, Coppock had three hits and Stillman, Wilson and Taylor two each.
Jenkins pitched all three innings allowing a run on two hits and fanning six.
This time, the Lady Hornets loaded the bases in the first inning but were unable to dent the plate.
In the second, however, Coppock singled, took second on a tap out by Yazza and scored on a double by Stillman. Rice walked then Bruick plugged the gap in left-center. Though Stillman was thrown out at the plate, Rice and Bruick eventually scored on passed balls to make it 3-0.
The Lady Hornets made it a run-rule game with eight in the third. Wilson’s single started the uprising. Coppock popped her third hit to center then Yazza, sacrificing, reached on an error to load the bases for Stillman who lined a triple that cleared the bases and doubled the lead.
A sacrifice fly by Rice made it 7-0 and Bruick got thing revved up again with a walk ahead of Taylor’s blast to center. Sory singled then Wilson unloaded on an 0-1 deliver to cap off the scoring.
Jenkins, meanwhile, had retired six of the first seven batters she faced. In the bottom of the third, she struck out the first two then surrendered back-to-back doubles to account for the lone Alma run. But a final strikeout ended it there.
