Bryant returns State crown to familiar surroundings
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FAYETTEVILLE — As far as the Bryant Lady Hornets are concerned, the Class AAAAA/AAAA State Championship trophy is back where it belongs — in Bryant.
From 1995 to 1997, that’s where the trophy wound up. That run of domination was interrupted last season when Bryant was ousted by the eventual champion Benton. But this year, with an 11-1 clubbing of the Sylvan Hills Lady Bears at Lake Fayetteville Softball Complex, the Lady Hornets reclaimed their crown.
And, despite all the talk of the youth of the Sylvan Hills team, the Lady Hornets did it with just two seniors in the starting lineup.
Of course, both of those seniors were key. Senior second baseman Kim Adams joined juniors Tiffany and Stephanie Kennedy as well as freshman Misty Phillips on the all-tournament team while senior pitcher Jenna White earned tournament MVP honors.
White not only pitched spendidly, she was on base 13 times in 14 plate appearances in the Lady Hornets’ four tournament wins. She had 11 hits, walked once and reached base on an error.
And White’s pitching was augmented by the Lady Hornets’ fine defense. Bryant set down the first 10 Sylvan Hills batters in the championship game.
Meanwhile, at the plate, the Lady Hornets built a 7-0 lead. A six-run second broke the ice.
The first two of seven Sylvan Hills errors contributed to the uprising. Bryant kept putting the pressure on the Lady Bears’ defense by hitting the ball with authority.
The second inning opened with an error at short that allowed Tiffany Kennedy to reach base. An out later, Meagan Clancy smacked the first of her three hits in the game. Stacy Workman, like Clancy a freshman, drove home the game’s first run with a single to right. Sophomore Courtney Stone brought home another with a base hit past third.
Junior Nikki Turpin loaded the bases with a single to left and, an out later, freshman Andrea Hammock’s grounder was botched allowing two runs to score. RBI singles by White and Phillips made it 6-0.
In the third, another error on a ball hit by Tiffany Kennedy opened the door again. Clancy singled with one out but was forced at second as Kennedy moved to third and Workman reached base safely. Stone then delivered a clutch two-out RBI single to increase the advantage.
Sylvan Hills finally broke through in the top of the fourth. Jennifer Brown managed her team’s first hit with one out and advanced to third when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Emily Thomas singled her home but White got the next two batters to fly to Turpin in right to retire the side.
The Lady Bears threatened again in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but flies to Hammock in center and to Turpin ended the inning.
Bryant then scored three times to run-rule the Lady Bears.
The final uprising also began with an error, this time on a ball hit by sophomore Kelly Bennett. Clancy rapped her third single then Workman walked to load the bases. Stone and Turpin singled in runs and, after Stephanie Kennedy walked to load the sacks again, Hammock brought the game to an end with a single to left, plating Workman with the 11th run.
