Lady Hornets snap three-game slump
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Jennifer Smith and Lindsey Sullivan combined on a two-hit shutout as the Bryant Lady Hornets softball team drubbed the Camden Fairview Lady Cardinals 10-0 in AAAAA-South Conference play on Thursday, April 6.
The win snapped a three-game skid for the Lady Hornets who also won the first of their three games in the Spring Swing at Jacksonville on Saturday, April 8.
Against Fairview, the Lady Hornets struck for six runs in the first inning while Smith pitched hitless ball for the first three innings. Sullivan relieved in the fourth and allowed two hits while striking out three and walking no one in the two innings of work. Smith returned in the sixth and completed the shutout with another pair of hitless frames.
In all, Smith struck out nine and walked three in five innings.
Bryant’s game-breaking first inning began with walks to Andrea Hammock and Stephanie Kennedy. Meagan Clancy grounded into a force at second but then swiped the base to put runners at second and third. Mistica Phillips then drove in the first run with a groundout.
Consecutive singles by Kelly Bennett, Jeanne Randall and Smith got the carousel on the bases revved up. Stacy Workman, Sullivan and Hammock all waited out walks to keep things going then Kennedy capped the inning with another base hit.
Kennedy, Smith and Sullivan each finished with two hits. Smith drove in two. Sullivan contributed a pair of stolen bases.
On Saturday, the Lady Hornets opened play with a 7-4 victory over a Dover team that came into the action 9-1 on the season.
“Jennifer pitched real well but we wound up playing back-to-back games and she couldn’t come back,” noted Lady Hornets coach Stacy Mallett. “They need to change the tournament formats for fast pitch so that it’s more like baseball. If you don’t have a bunch of pitchers, it’s hard to play more than one game in a day like we did in slow pitch.”
In the Lady Hornets’ second game, Morrilton handed them a 9-1 loss.
They were then knocked out of the tournament with a 6-5 loss to Pulaski Oak Grove.
Now 5-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play, the Lady Hornets had their league game against Texarkana postponed by rain on Tuesday, April 11. The make-up date is tentatively set for May 2.
They were scheduled to return to action on Thursday, April 13, at home against Benton with the annual ASA Tournament at Burns Park in North Little Rock set for Friday and Saturday.
