Melhorn’s key hit sparks BHS girls
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).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
At the beginning of the softball season, sophomore Kaci Melhorn was providing capable backup for returning starters Amie Hubbard at third and Lindsey Sullivan at second. But she wasn’t getting too many varsity at-bats.
Time after time in practice and junior varsity games, line drives kept flying off Melhorn’s bat. Bryant Lady Hornets head coach Stacy Mallett noticed as her varsity squad continued to struggle offensively, scoring one run in eight innings at Benton, getting shut out by North Little Rock and Conway.
“She’d been hitting really good in JV and in practice and when we’d pinch hit with her in varsity,” Mallett related. “She was just killing it. So, we felt we had to find a place in the lineup for her. She’s a good infielder. She’s got good hands and, if we didn’t have Amie, she’d be awesome at third too. But we felt pretty solid on the rest of our infield and with their hitting also, so we tried her at first base and it worked.”
Though Melhorn had never played there, she made a smooth transition defensively. And, offensively? Well, she’s since moved into the clean-up spot in the batting order and the Lady Hornets have won six of seven (not counting a forfeit to Fort Smith Northside).
Melhorn’s first start came against Farmington in the semifinals of the Fort Smith tournament.
“She came up with the bases loaded and ripped a double that cleared the bases and we felt like geniuses,” Mallett quipped.
That win streak and Melhorn’s key role continued in a AAAAA-Central Conference game on Monday, April 7. She reached base three times and had two hits including a key two-run single in a three-run third as the Lady Hornets earned a 4-0 win over the Mount St. Mary’s Academy Belles.
The win was also highlighted by the Bryant defense and the pitching of freshman Kara Vaughn who blanked the Belles on just one hit. Vaughn struck out only one, so the defense was crucial. Mount St. Mary’s was hitless through four innings. The lone hit came with two out in the fifth when Anjelica Perez belted a double to deep center.
Bryant, in turn, pounded out nine hits. Center fielder Kalin Dreher celebrated her 16th birthday with a pair of singles and senior Lindsey Stone pounded out a pair of hits including a long double off the left-field fence.
The Lady Hornets, who improved to 12-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play, moved within a game of the league lead with the victory, coupled with North Little Rock’s win over Conway. Both Conway and North Little Rock have one loss in league play now. The Lady Hornets were set to visit North Little Rock on April 10 then host Conway on April 14.
Against Mount St. Mary’s, which fell to 9-7 and 1-3 but still figures to contend for a State Tournament bid, the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Melhorn reached base on an error. She was forced out at second on a bouncer to the mound by Jeanne Randall. Mount St. Mary’s try to turn a doubleplay but the relay to first was wild and Randall was able to hustle on to second. A grounder to short by Allison Mitchem advanced the runner to third then Dreher’s swinging bunt wound up in no-man’s land. Dreher legged out a single as the run scored.
After Vaughn worked around a walk and Bryant’s only error of the game in the top of the third, the Lady Hornets put together the telling three-run uprising.
Rachel Blakley got things started, reaching safely on an error. Sullivan sacrificed her to second then Hubbard walked and the two worked a double steal with Melhorn at the plate.
On a 1-0 count, Melhorn turned on a Shannon Adams delivery and hit a sharp grounder that hit the third-base bag, chasing both runners home.
Melhorn swiped second and, with two out, raced home when Mitchem laced a single to right, making it 4-0.
The Lady Hornets put runners on base in each of the next three innings but were unable to add to the score. But Vaughn and the defense protected the lead. With one out in the seventh, Vaughn hit Emily Watson. But pinch-hitter Megan Schroeder smacked a liner that Vaughn speared. Watson roamed too far from first and Vaughn threw to Melhorn for a dramatic end to the game.
