Lady Hornets erupt for 14 in the first, breeze past ConwayBy Rob Patrick
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be 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).
Photos by Kevin Nagle
The Bryant Lady Hornets’ starting lineup played an inning or two on Thursday night after they[more] struck for 14 runs in the bottom of the first inning then breezed to a 14-0 win over the Conway Lady Wampus Cats.
Seventeen Lady Hornets got to the plate in the game and nine of them had hits as they improved to 12-3 overall and 3-0 in the 7A/6A-Central Conference. Bryant hosts Sylvan Hills in a non-conference contest today at 4:30 then returns to conference action with a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary Academy on Monday, April 11, and a trip to Cabot the next day.
Peyton Jenkins and Kayla Sory combined to limit Conway to just four hits in the game. Each struck out a pair. In two innings, Jenkins faced seven batters. She hit the first one then retired six in a row.
Hannah Rice and Cassidy Wilson each had two hits in the opening blitz. Wilson, Sory and Jenna Bruick each drove in two runs.
Bryant batted through the lineup twice and started on a third round during the first. Hannah Rice started the parade to the plate with one out, grounding a single to left. Jessie Taylor reached on an error then, with two out, Sory singled in the first run. A base hit by Wilson made it 2-0.
Sory and Wilson worked a double steal then both came home on wild pitches as Ashley Chaloner drew a walk. A walk to Carly Yazza set the table for Katy Stillman who sent a grounder past the first baseman that allowed Chaloner to score.
Yazza wound up and third and, after Stillman stole second, Bruick singled to make it 6-0. Rice lined a double to left to get Stillman home then Taylor singled in Bruick. A walk to Jenkins loaded the bases for Sory who drew a free pass to force in the ninth run.
Consecutive RBI singles by Wilson, Chaloner, Yazza and Stillman kept the carousel turning before the 14th run scored on Bruick’s walk in her third turn at the plate.
After that, Lady Hornets coach Debbie Clark subbed everyone out except for Sory, who moved to the pitcher’s circle. Kaley Coppock had a single in the second for Bryant’s only hit the rest of the way.
Conway managed a single in the third but a liner to Coppock at first resulted in an inning-ending doubleplay.
The Lady Cats threatened in the fourth, getting a runner to third but no further. Sory then pitched around a pair of singles in the fifth to close it out.
