Lady Hornets surge past Cabot to set up championship showdown
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CABOT — Showdown time.
In a rematch of the 2009 Class 7A State championship game, the Bryant Lady Hornets and the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats will meet on Monday, May 10, at the Lady Hornets’ field with the championship of the 7A-Central Conference on the line.
Both teams won on Thursday, May 6, to remain tied atop the conference at 12-1. North Little Rock, which suffered its lone loss to third-place Cabot, downed Little Rock Central while the Lady Hornets avoided a similar fate at Cabot with a 13-3 run-rule win. The results assured both teams of a first-round bye at the State Tournament which begins Friday, May 14, at Cabot. They’ll both open play on Saturday.[more]
The Lady Hornets clubbed 18 hits highlighted by Jessie Taylor’s school-record ninth home run, a three-run blast that highlighted a five-run fourth that blew the game up.
Jenna Bruick went 3 for 3 with a two-run triple. Cassidy Wilson and Peyton Jenkins also had three hits. Taylor, Kayla Sory and Ashley Chaloner each had two hits.
Jenkins was the winning pitcher, scattering six hits, walking one, hitting a pair and striking out seven. Only two of the runs were earned. The sophomore pounded the strike zone with 72 of her 101 pitches for strikes.
Bryant scored in all but the fifth inning. In the first, Bruick beat out an infield hit then Wilson placed a bunt between the pitcher and the first baseman for a hit. Jenkins followed with a shot to deep center for a two-run double. She tried to stretch it to a triple but was thrown out at third.
Cabot tied it in the bottom of the inning. Kaitlinn Gunn drew a walk and Chelsea Conrade blooped one into no-man’s land in left-center and hustled to second with a double. Both runs scored on an error that allowed Kristi Flesher to reach second. She, however, was doubled off when third baseman Shanika Johnson snatched a liner and caught Flesher off the bag.
Tara Boyd singled but Jenkins ended the inning with her first strikeout to keep it 2-2.
In the second, Kelsie Works reached on an error with one out. She was forced at second on Hannah Rice’s grounder to short. But Rice swiped second and raced home with Bruick slapped a single to left center, snapping the tie.
Cabot knotted it back up in the bottom of the inning, however. Taylor Anderson reached second on an error was sacrificed to third by Jenny Evans and, after an 11-pitch battle, Sarah Martin got her home with a sacrifice fly.
But it didn’t stay tied long again. Jenkins led off the top of the third with a shot off the pitcher’s glove for a single. Brittney Ball came on as a courtesy runner and advanced on a groundout by Taylor, taking third when Sory reached on an error. Johnson followed with a grounder to short. A throw to the plate retired Ball but, moments later, a passed ball allowed runners to reach second and third for Chaloner who came through with the two-out, two-run single that put the Lady Hornets ahead for good.
After Jenkins pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning, the five-run fourth commenced with a sharp single to left by Rice that was booted in the outfield, allowing her to take second. Bruick’s sacrifice got Rice to third but she held there when Wilson beat out an infield hit. Jenkins singled up the middle to drive in a run then, after McKenzie Rice subbed in as a courtesy runner, Taylor blasted her three-run shot to left center.
Back-to-back doubles by Sory and Johnson made it 10-3.
Jenkins worked around a hit batsman in the fourth and, after the Lady Hornets were retired in the top of the fifth, the Bryant hurler struck out the side around a pair of singles.
Bryant’s sixth began with a one-out single by Chaloner on a hot shot to third. Pinch-hitter Stephanie Cyz also lined a single off the third sacker. Rice tested the third baseman as well and this time a force out was the result. But Bruick then came through with a drive to right center for a two-run triple. And when Wilson singled her in, Bryant had its 10-run lead.
