Lady Hornets continue to leave opponents in their wake
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 — Scoring in double digits for the eighth time in 11 games this season, the Bryant Lady Hornets remained unbeaten overall and in 7A/6A-Central Conference play with a 17-0 rout of the Van Buren Pointerettes in five innings on Thursday evening.
It was the seventh time a Bryant opponent has failed to score. On the season, the Lady Hornets, two-time defending Class 7A State champions, have out-scored their opponents by a combined 124-5.
Bryant will begin play in a tournament in Van Buren today against Atkins at 5 p.m. The Lady Hornets will play either Alma or Van Buren in a second-round game at 8.
In Thursday’s win, the onslaught included bombs by senior Jessie Taylor and freshman Sydney Gogus. Taylor, Kayla Sory, Cassidy Wilson and Kaley Coppock each had two hits. Taylor drove in four runs.
Peyton Jenkins pitched another shutout, this time allowing just two hits while striking out eight without a walk.
Bryant broke out to a 4-0 lead in the opening inning. A one-out walk to Jenna Bruick got things started. She stole second and scored on Taylor’s double. With Ashley Chaloner running for Taylor, Sory drew a walk and Wilson ripped a double to plate both runs. Coppock singled to put runners at the corners then worked a double steal with Wilson to get the fourth run home.
In the second, McKenzie Rice singled, Bruick walked and Taylor unloaded on a 1-2 delivery for a long home run to left-center.
Sory followed with a double, Wilson singled then a wild pitch allowed a run, making it 8-0.
Meanwhile, Jenkins set down the first eighth batters she faced before giving up a two-out single in the third. She followed it with a strikeout.
Bryant made it a run-rule lead in the fourth when Sory was hit by a pitch to start a five-run uprising. Wilson walked and Coppock singled in a run. A walk to Carly Yazza loaded the bases and Katy Stillman came through with a sacrifice fly to make it 10-0.
Rice walked to load the bags again and Jenkins drew a pass to force in a run. Bruick picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly then Taylor reached on an error to load the bases for Sory who singled in Rice.
In the fifth, Brittney Ball and Chaloner cracked doubles to plate a run. Breanna Sanders singled in Chaloner bringing up Gogus, who blasted an 0-1 delivery over the boards in right-center to complete the scoring.
Van Buren managed a lead-off hit in the fourth but then Jenkins retired the last six in a row including four on strikes.
