With a little help from the Conway Lady Cats, the Bryant Lady Hornets pulled even with the Cabot Lady Panthers atop the 6A-Central Conference softball standings on Thursday.
While the Lady Hornets were whipping Little Rock Central twice, 10-0 and 15-3, the Lady Cats were pinning a 2-1 loss on Cabot. It was the Lady Panthers’ first loss in league play. Bryant improved to 20-5 overall this season and matched Cabot’s 9-1 mark against the conference going into a game against winless Little Rock Southwest on Monday.
Bryant hosts Cabot on Friday, April 30, and still has games coming up against North Little Rock and Conway. Cabot plays Central before coming to Bryant. The Lady Panthers finish up against Fort Smith Northside and North Little Rock.
Against Central, the Lady Hornets piled up 25 runs on 25 hits in the two games.
Bryant 10, LR Central 0
In the opener on Thursday, Leah Hicks spun a four-hit shutout. She walked no one and struck out three in five innings.
Offensively, the Lady Hornets hammered out 11 hits including two each from Alissa Suarez, Christine Mefford and Bella Herring. Regan Dillon clubbed a solo homer.
A three-run first got Bryant off to a good start. Suarez was plunked by a 3-0 pitch then Mefford beat out a bunt single. After a double steal, Abby Gentry bunted for a hit that got both runners home when the ball was thrown away by the Central pitcher.
Gentry, who wound up at third, scored on a second error.
The Lady Tigers managed a lead-off single in the top of the second, but Hicks and the Bryant defense retired the next three.
Herring singled to open Bryant’s two-run home second. Macy Hoskins sacrificed her to second and, after Kallee Nichols beat out an infield hit, Suarez picked up an RBI with a grounder into center.
An out later, Nichols scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.
Hicks fanned a pair in the top of the third, setting up another two-run uprising by the Lady Hornets in the home half.
With two down, Caitlyn LaCerra walked, stole second and third then scored when Herring lined a single to center. And when the ball was misplayed in the outfield, Herring wound up at third. Hoskins singled her home.
Central managed another hit in the top of the fourth but, on a single to Nichols in right, the batter was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double and the lead runner was tagged out at the plate.
Bryant’s three-run fourth made it a run-rule lead. Singles by Suarez and Mefford started the inning. Gentry picked up a sacrifice fly and, after Mefford took second on a wild pitch then third on a passed ball, Hicks got a bunt down to get her home.
Dillon put the finishing touches on the rout with her home run to right.
Hicks pitched around a single and an error in the top of the fifth. The last out came when the lead runner tried to score on the error only to be thrown out.
Bryant 15, LR Central 3
Hoskins belted a grand slam and drove in five runs. Herring added a double and a triple while knocking in four. Dillon had three more hits. Suarez, Mefford and LaCerra added two knock each.
Hicks came in to relieve Mefford in the first inning and pitched the rest of the way, scattered five hits and giving up one unearned run over 6 1/3 innings.
Bryant took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame (as the visiting team on the scoreboard). Suarez reached on an error to start the inning. Paola Arana came in as a courtesy runner but, after Mefford beat out an infield hit, she was picked off second.
But Mefford swiped second and scored when Emma Bonvillain’s grounder to first was booted.
Central took its lone lead of the day with a two-run home first. A single, a walk, an RBI base hit and a wild pitch produced the runs before Hicks came on to get the final out of the inning on a comebacker, stranding a runner at third.
Bryant tied it in the top of the second when Herring drew a walk and scored on Hoskins’ double to right.
The Lady Hornets took the lead in the top of the fourth. Herring walked and was sacrificed to second by Hoskins. On Nichols’ groundout, Herring moved to third. She scored from there when Suarez cracked a double to left.
The Lady Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of singles and an error. But a grounder to Suarez at second resulted in a force at the plate for the second out of the frame. Central tried to steal a run with a double theft only to have Dillon make the tag in time.
Hoskins’ slam on a bolt to center increased the lead to 7-2. Dillon had reached on an error with two outs then LaCerra did the same. A walk to Herring filled the bags.
A single and an error allowed Central to get a runner to third with one out in the bottom of the fifth. A groundout got the run in but that was all the Lady Tigers could muster.
Bryant’s onslaught resumed in the top of the sixth. Suarez singled and when Mefford hit a comebacker to the pitcher, she beat the throw to second as Mefford reached first. Gentry reached on an error to load the bases for Hicks, who delivered a squeeze bunt, to make it 9-3.
Gentry stole third and when the throw got past the third baseman, she sprinted home.
Dillon revved up the offense again with a double and, after LaCerra beat out an infield hit, Herring doubled in a run and it was 11-3.
A two-out single came to naught for the Lady Tigers in the home sixth and the Lady Hornets went back to work again.
The top of the seventh uprising began with a one-out single by Mefford. With two down, Hicks drew a walk. Dillon lined a single to center to plate Mefford. Bailey Glenn, running for Hicks, advanced to third on LaCerra’s infield hit then both of them scored when Herring lined a triple to right.
Hicks eased through the bottom of the seventh despite a two-out error.
