VAN BUREN — The Bryant Lady Hornets suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Brookland Lady Bearcats in the opening round of the Rumble on the Ridge on Friday but bounced back that evening with a 9-1 win over the Atkins Lady Red Devils.
The Lady Hornets were set to continue play in the tournament this morning at 10.
Bryant 9, Atkins 1
Christine Mefford held Atkins to just three hits, walking one and striking out four in the four-inning contest.
Bryant hammered out 11 hits including three by Mefford. Abby Gentry had two and the Lady Hornets took advantage of five errors and five walks.
They took out their frustrations from the previous game by piling up six runs in the first inning. Alissa Suarez drew a lead-off walk then Caitlin LaCerra beat out an infield hit to set the table. An error allowed both runners to advance then a passed ball allowed Suarez to score the first run.
Moments later, LaCerra stole home.
Gentry singled to rev up the offense again. Regan Dillon belted a double to left. And when Emma Bonvillain cracked a double, it scored both of them. Mefford singled to right to make it 5-0. After she took second on the throw from the outfield, an error by the catcher allowed her to score.
Mefford allowed a lead-off double to Christin Flory in the bottom of the first. After a strikeout, Kinley Prater drew a walk. After Flory advanced on a wild pitch, Mefford got out of the jam by striking out Lexxie Gooden and getting Maven Cauthen to line out to Bella Herring at short.
After Mefford pitched around an error in the bottom of the second, the Lady Hornets added a run in the top of the third. Bonvillain walked and, with one out, Mefford drilled a double to center. With two down, Kallee Nichols’ infield hit got the run home.
Atkins got its run in the bottom of the third when Flory was hit by a pitch and, with two down, Gooden singled her to third. An error in the outfield allowed the run to score.
But the Lady Hornets got that run back in the top of the fourth. Gentry singled and Dillon walked. An error allowed Gentry to reach third. She then stole home as Dillon was thrown out trying to swipe second.
With the bases empty, Herring and Mefford capped off the scoring with back-to-back doubles.
The Lady Hornets’ defense made three plays in the bottom of the fourth to close out the win.
Brookland 3, Bryant 2
Gracie Davis hit a two-run homer, one of just three hits allowed by Bryant’s Leah Hicks, to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third then pitcher Keirstin Hammett and the Lady Bearcats’ defense made that hold up in Friday’s opener.
Bryant had five hits including two by Regan Dillon. They Lady Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Bella Herring singled, stole second and scored on Dillon’s knock. When the ball was misplayed in left, Dillon raced to third. She scored on a groundout to second by Hicks.
Brookland had been retired in order in the first. In the second, Hicks pitched around a lead-off single by Hammett. She fanned two.
After the Lady Hornets were retired in order in the top of the third, a walk to Ashlyn McNeese started the home half. Katie Rainwater drew a free pass as well. McNeese went to third when Helena Garcia grounded to Suarez at second. She got a force with a throw Herring covering second. But Garcia was too quick to be doubled up.
So, with runners at the corners, the Lady Bearcats worked a double steal to get McNeese home with their first run. Moments later, on an 0-2 pitch, Davis unloaded to make it 3-2.
Bryant managed only a two-out single by Dillon in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, they turned a doubleplay to erase a one-out single by Taylor Reed.
In the top of the fifth, Macy Hoskins led off for Bryant with a lined single to left. But the Lady Bearcats retired the next three on groundouts.
The bottom of the fifth began but the time limit expired with two out.
