Lady Hornets make quick work of Conway
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).
CONWAY — After a strong showing in 2009, the Conway Lady Cats softball team is rebuilding in 2010. Last year, they played a thriller against Bryant at Conway that the Lady Hornets rallied to win. This year, Bryant, with the core of the same team back on the field, eased to a 16-0 win in four innings on Thursday, April 8.
The Lady Hornets, now 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the 7A-Central Conference, share the league lead with the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats. (The two teams that played for the State title last year.) The Bryant girls make the long trip to Van Buren today for another league game against the Pointerettes (7-9, 2-4).
On Thursday, Kayla Sory pitched a one-hit shutout for the Lady Hornets, who have surrendered just two runs over their last five games. The lone hit was a single by Chelsea Cowles to start the bottom of the first. Sory and the Bryant defense then set down 12 of the next 14 batters. The lone base runners were Cowles on a two-out walk in the third and Hannah Cooper who reached on a two-out error in the bottom of the fourth. Sory struck out two.[more]
The Lady Hornets jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, added two more in the second then blew the game up with eight in the third. A two-run fourth completed the romp.
Offensively, the Lady Hornets cracked 11 hits including three by Jessie Taylor and two each from Peyton Jenkins and Sory, who each drove in three runs.
An infield hit with one out by Jenkins got things started in the opening salvo. She advanced on a wild pitch then scored on a double by Taylor. Sory then drove in Taylor with a single to left, taking second on an errant throw toward home. A wild pitch allowed Sory to take third and she scored from there on a single by Shanika Johnson. Another errant throw allowed Johnson to take second on the play and, after she moved to third on a wild pitch, Hannah Rice brought her home with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 4-0.
In the second, Shelby Henson drew a lead-off walk for the Lady Hornets. Ashley Chaloner sacrificed her to second but she was thrown out at the plate when she tried to score on Jenna Bruick’s singled up the middle. On the throw to the plate, Bruick hustled to second and, moments later, she sprinted home on a single up the middle by Jenkins. A bobble in the outfield allowed Jenkins to race to second which set the stage for Taylor’s second RBI on a single up the middle, making it 6-0.
The third-inning outburst was fueled by walks and errors. Johnson was issued a free pass to start it. She stole second and took third when Rice reached on an error. When Kelsie Works hit a grounder to short and, in the attempt to get a force at second, another error occurred the bases were loaded.
A similar scenario developed when Henson grounded to third. Another misplay resulted in a run as the bags remained full for Chaloner, who worked a walk to force in a run, making it 8-0.With one out, Jenkins hit a drive to deep right that was misplayed and two runs scored. Taylor singled, Sory was hit by a pitch and, with two out, Rice drew a walk. Works then capped off the inning with a two-run single.
Head coach Debbie Stepp started working in her reserves in the bottom of the third.
The Lady Hornets put the finishing touches on the win in the top of the fourth when Chaloner beat out an infield hit and Brittney Ball walked to set the table. A wild pitch allowed the runners to move up to second and third before, with two down, Sory drove them both in with a single to left.
