Taylor’s slam helps Bryant past North Little Rock, gain back sole possession of first
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NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Bryant Lady Hornets head coach Lisa Stanfield tried to treat it like any other game.
It wasn’t, of course. The Lady Hornets came into the game at Burns Park tied with the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats for first place in the 7A-Central Conference. The winner was practically assured of the league crown. For Bryant, a win would not only put them a game ahead of North Little Rock, it would give them the tiebreaker, a sweep of the Lady Cats.
“I really didn’t want them to go in any different,” she said. “This group — I really don’t want them to think too much about stuff. They’re pretty athletic. So we’re really just better off going with what comes naturally.”
But the girls knew.
“They were anything but calmed and collected,” Stanfield admitted.
And they certainly weren’t after it was over. Sparked by a grand slam by freshman Jessie Taylor that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead, the Lady Hornets claimed a 6-4 victory over the defending Class 7A State champion Lady Cats and last year’s State tourney MVP Jessica Shelton.[more]
The Lady Hornets improved to 9-2 in league play while North Little Rock suffered its third loss in conference. Bryant was set to visit Little Rock Central on Friday then travel to Van Buren for a league doubleheader on Tuesday, April 28. They’ll need to win at least two to claim the conference championship and the top seed from the league at State in Bentonville starting Friday, May 1.
While admitting her team still has work to do, Stanfield mentioned, “We have six games left.” She meant the three regular-season games and three (after a first-round bye) at State, getting to the championship.
And the track record for Bryant is pretty good in that regard. Over the last four years, the Lady Hornets reached the championship game twice and the semifinals twice.
Yet, Stanfield wasn’t going to let her team rest of its laurels. With the big picture in mind, she related after the game, “We still had a lot of mental things that we worked on for two hours yesterday in practice and we’re still making the same mistakes. They’re not extremely noticeable but I think, if we don’t fix them pretty soon, it’s going to get us.”
Strategically, Stanfield had her team concentrate on laying off Shelton’s out-pitch, a riser. They followed instructions for the most part and they hammered out nine hits and all of their runs on the Lady Cats’ star over five innings.
In fact, they jumped on her right away. Jenna Bruick led the game off with an infield single and, though she was thrown out trying to steal, Cassidy Wilson followed with a base hit. She stole second and, with two out, Peyton Jenkins came through with a clutch RBI single up the middle.
Wilson, only recently back from injury, had three hits in the game.
Christen Kirchner started the game in the pitcher’s circle for the Lady Hornets. She worked around a pair of singles in the bottom of the first and a one-out single in the second.
In the top of the second, Sarah Hart earned a one-out walk. Kim Wilson sacrificed to get courtesy runner Kelsie Works to second. Paige Turpin was then in by a pitch, breaking the mask on her helmet. Though shaken, she played on. Bruick then drew a walk to load the bases for Wilson who cracked a fly to deep center that was caught, the only time in the game she was retired.
After Shelton retired the Lady Hornets in order in the top of the third, North Little Rock surged into the lead in the home half. Tiffany Roby was hit by a pitch. Natalie Mosley got a sacrifice bunt down and wound up on second when a play was made, unsuccessfully, to get the lead runner at third. Molly Edwards followed with a grounder that took a bad hop past shortstop Kayla Sory that went for a two-run double. Callie Simmons singled her home and North Little Rock led 3-1.
Bryant got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth when Taylor singled to right, Hart was hit by a pitch and Kim Wilson ripped one to center to drive in the second run. Works, running for Hart, got to second and hesitated before taking off for third and the relay from the outfield got her at third.
Kirchner kept it 3-2 by striking out two and, after surrendering a single, getting the third out on a grounder to Taylor at third.
The tell-tale uprising for Bryant began with Cassidy Wilson’s second hit, a double. Kirchner got a bunt down past the pitcher for a hit. And, when North Little Rock concentrated on holding Wilson at third, Kirchner went to second. With one out, Sory got a bunt down and reached base when the Lady Cats again held the runner at third instead of making a play at first.
With the sacks jammed, Taylor took a ball then launched a low, outside pitch, going with it to right field and clearing the fence for a grand slam, giving Bryant a 6-3 lead.
Jenkins relieved Kirchner in the bottom of the fifth and retired the side in order.
Bryant threatened to get more in the top of the sixth when Bruick beat out a bunt single. She was thrown out trying to steal but then Cassidy Wilson cracked her second double and Kirchner beat out an infield hit, taking second when the Lady Cats held Wilson at third. But both were stranded when Jenkins bounced out to short.
Jenkins’ main job, however, was on the mound and she pitched a scoreless sixth, working around a two-out bunt hit.
A double by Sory came to naught in the top of the seventh and, in the home half, North Little Rock refused to go quietly. Edwards walked with one out, Simmons singled her to third to set up Howard who delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 6-4 with the tying run coming to the plate. But Jenkins got the next batter to pop up to second to end the game.
In addition, the Lady Hornets JV team finished up a 13-0 season with a 5-0 win over the North Little Rock JV.
