LITTLE ROCK — After making quick work of the Little Rock Southwest Lady Gryphons, who are winless in their first season of softball in the 6A-Central Conference, the Bryant Lady Hornets bused across town to play its regularly-scheduled game against Baptist Prep on Monday.
The 16-0 win over Southwest improved the Lady Hornets to 10-1 in league play and, with a 7-4 win over Baptist Prep, their overall record went to 22-5.
The Lady Hornets are in a virtual tie for first place with Cabot. Both have one loss. Cabot visits Bryant for a first-place showdown on Friday.
Bryant 16, LR Southwest 0
In the win over Southwest, the Lady Hornets clubbed eight extra-base hits including two home runs by Regan Dillon. Abby Gentry and Alissa Suarez also went deep. Marissa Bracey cracked a pair of doubles while Gentry and Emma Bonvillain each had one. The Lady Hornets racked up 15 hits to take advantage of seven Southwest errors. Christine Mefford went 3 for 3.
Emily Miller and Mefford combined on a one-hit shutout. Miller went three innings without giving up a hit, walking one and striking out seven. Mefford pitched the fourth and fanned two.
The lone Southwest hit was a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth.
All of Bryant’s runs came in two innings. The Lady Hornets scored eight in the first and eight in the fourth.
In the first, Mefford singled and took second on an outfield error. Gentry then launched her sixth bomb of the season. Bella Herring singled then Dillon blasted the first of her two dingers.
A walk to Caitlyn LaCerra followed. She stole second and when the ball was thrown away, she scored.
Bonvillain doubled and, after Macy Hoskins was hit by a pitch, Bracey picked up an RBI on a groundout to second, making it 6-0.
Suarez followed on the very next pitch with her ninth blast of the season to cap the inning.
Miller walked the first batter she faced in the bottom of the first, but the Lady Hornets turned a doubleplay. A strikeout ended the inning.
She went on to retire the side in order in the second and third.
In the top of the fourth, Mefford was struck by a pitch, stole second and third then strolled home on a double by Gentry. An error on the play allowed Gentry to circle the bases and it was 10-0.
Herring singled to center then Dillon ripped a grounder past first and into the right-field corner. With the outfield pulled way around to the left, it took a while for them to retrieve the ball and Dillon was able to circle the bases for an inside-the-park homer.
The 13th run was scored by LaCerra after she walked, stole second and third, then scored on Hoskins’ sacrifice fly.
Suarez singled, stole second and took third on a misplay. Mefford singled her in then scored the 16thrun when Gentry’s fly to right was dropped.
Bryant 7, Baptist Prep 4
The Lady Hornets jumped to a 7-0 lead then kept a pair of Baptist Prep rallies to a minimum to hold on for the win.
Bryant had 11 hits, all singles except Kallee Nichols’ first varsity homer. Nichols, Hoskins and Bonvillain each had two hits.
Mefford pitched the first two innings, walked two and struck out two without allowing a hit. Leah Hicks finished the game for Bryant.
A four-run second put the Lady Hornets on the road to victory. Singles by Bonvillain and Dillon opened the inning, but courtesy runner Bailey Glenn was picked off second before LaCerra struck out.
Herring kept the uprising alive with an infield hit. Hoskins blooped a base hit to right, driving in Dillon who, with two outs, was off on contact. That brought Nichols to the plate. She lined one to right and was able to sprint around the bases for a three-run inside-the-park homer.
Bryant added on in the top of the fourth. With one out, Hoskins beat out an infield hit. Nichols did as well. After they pulled off a double steal, Suarez picked up an RBI with a grounder to short.
With Nichols at third, Mefford lined a single to left to make it 6-0. Knock by Gentry and Bonvillain brought Mefford around for the seventh tally.
The Lady Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when, with one out, Ellis Bennett’s infield pop fell in. Taylor Bornds followed with a home run to right.
Hicks squelched any further activity by inducing a grounder to Herring at short by Macie Welch before Mackenzie Childers fouled out to Nichols down the right-field line.
Childers, on in relief of Welch, walked Nichols to start the top of the sixth but then struck out the side.
In turn, Baptist Prep trimmed two more runs off the Bryant lead. Katie Midkiff led off with a single then Alivia Slayton doubled. Maci Henderson singled to center to drive both home.
Childers again struck out the side in the top of the seventh around a walk to LaCerra. In the bottom of the inning, Bornds led off with a double. Welch lined out to Herring at short then Childers beat out an infield hit to put runners at the corners with one out.
But Hicks struck out Midkiff after Childers stole second. She then fanned Slayton on three pitches to end the game.
