Lady Hornets dismiss White Hall in official opener
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WHITE HALL — In her first outing of the season, Bryant Lady Hornets’ sophomore pitcher Raven Loveless scattered six hits, walked just one, fanned six and allowed just one unearned run while her teammates put together a three-run fifth to break open a 2-0 contest.
Bryant earned their first official victory of the season, 7-1, over the White Hall Lady Bulldogs.
Regan Ryan, Macey Jaramillo, Madison Lyles and Meagan Chism each had two hits and Sarah Evans knocked in two in the victory.
The Lady Hornets return to action on Monday against the rival Benton Lady Panthers as part of the UCA Rival Night in Conway.
Bryant grabbed a 1-0 lead at White Hall in the top of the opening inning. With two out, Gianni Hulett, Evans and Lyles cracked consecutive hits, two of them on the infield.
The first two batters Loveless faced each singled but she struck out the next two and got the final out on a grounder to Lyles at short. She would retire the side in order in the second then work around a one-out walk in the third.
Bryant added to its lead in the top of the fourth. Lyles led off with a four-pitch walk then stole second. With one out, Chism lined a 1-0 pitch to center for an RBI single.
The Lady Bulldogs were set down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth and the Lady Hornets went back to work in the top of the fifth.
With one out, Ryan slapped a single to the left side, taking second on an error. On the next pitch, Jaramillo drilled a single to center to get her home. A walk to Hulett and an error put runners at second and third for Evans who put the ball in play with a grounder to short, getting Jaramillo home. Hulett scored when Lyles’s grounder was misplayed at first, making it 5-0.
White Hall managed its lone run in the home fifth.
An error opened the inning, allowing Madison Rushing to reach second. Loveless fanned Samaria Jackson and got Weston Sizemore to tap back to the circle as courtesy runner Jaidus King took third. Crystal McVay then beat out an infield hit to score the run.
It ended there when Blair Quarles bounced out to Evans at second.
White Hall’s Henley Tucker doubled with one out in the bottom of the sixth but was stranded when Loveless struck out Devin Whitehouse and got Taylor Akins to pop out to Evans.
In the top of the seventh, the Lady Hornets added some insurance. Ryan beat out an infield hit and Maddie Stephens lined a single to left. Both tagged an advanced on Hulett’s drive to right that was hauled in by Whiteside. Evans got Ryan home with a sacrifice fly to center then Stephens scrambled home on a passed ball moments before Lyles belted a double to right.
White Hall tried to muster a two-out rally in the home seventh. Sizemore’s pop fell in for a hit then McVay grounded a single into left. But Quarles skied out to Stephens in left to end it.
