Williams, defense silence Southside as Lady Hornets surge to win at State
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Photos courtesy of Jon Staton
CONWAY — As a freshman in 2012, Jordan Williams stepped into the heat of the 7A State Tournament when Bryant Lady Hornets’ ace Peyton Jenkins suffered a knee injury and proceeded to complete a 7-0 shutout against the Springdale Har-Ber Lady War Eagles that vaulted the Lady Hornets into the championship game.
Kaley Coppock (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
In the title contest, Williams started, threw one pitch then gave way to the game Jenkins who worked the first. Bryant grabbed a lead and Williams returned to the circle and finished the Lady Hornets third consecutive State championship.
But, for Williams and most of the Bryant team, 2013 turned out to be a star-crossed campaign — a road with plenty of valleys to go wit the peaks. The team was left out of the State tourney.
Most of them kept working, however, vowing to do better in 2014 and sure enough they did. Back in the State tourney on Friday, the Lady Hornets took on the Fort Smith Southside Lady Rebels and pounded out 13 hits for a 5-2 victory.
Not only was it a triumphant return for the team but for Williams as well. She came on to relieve starter Abby Staton in the bottom of the third with the game tied 2-2. Williams, using a devastating change of speeds, dazzled the Lady Rebels, shutting them out on just three hits over the final five innings, highlighted by a three-pitch sixth.
Macey Jaramillo tracks a flyable to centerfield. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Williams struck out seven including five when she retired the first eight batters she faced.
Senior Kaley Coppock, another veteran of State tourney success (starting both the 2011 and 2012 championship games) delivered a clutch two-run single in the top of the fifth to snap the tie. It was one of Coppock’s two hits.
Julie Ward finished with three hits to lead Bryant. Freshman Macey Jaramillo came up big time with a pair of knocks while Williams and senior Katy Stillman cracked a pair of hits apiece.
“Resilience, I think that’s a good way to look at it,” said Bryant head coach Debbie Clark, reflecting on Williams’ work in the circle. “As a coach, you never know if it’s going to be the pitcher’s day or not. Today was her day.
“She’s been working hard all year and we’ve been so proud of her,” she added. “Today, she was ready. We just felt like it was time and so we put her out there. And she was great. Her pitches were working, off-speed was working. That’s what you’ve got to have. She has a natural movement on her ball as it is because she’s left-handed.
“I don’t know if it was because, two years ago at the State Tournament, she did so well then but the team changed (when she came in),” the coach noted. “A team will go as their leaders go and sometimes that leader is in the circle. The team stepped up with her. I was just so extremely proud.”
Staton, who has had her clutch moments in the circle this year too, didn’t pitch that poorly. She just couldn’t lock into the strike zone and wound up walking three in the first two frames.
The Lady Hornets claimed an early 2-0 lead. Jaramillo provided the spark with a one-out double off Southside’s Kylee Hall. With a base open, Coppock was issued an “unintentional-intentional” walk. That brought up Ward who worked the count to 3-1 then looped one just inside the line in right for an RBI double. Breanna Sanders made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
With courtesy runner Nikki Clay, running for Ward, at third, Kayla Jolley made a bid at bringing her home, ripping a liner but it was right to Southside shortstop Paige Mendoza to end the inning.
Julie Ward (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
In the home half, a pair of walks with one out, gave Southside a chance to get on the board. Lindsey Eveld singled to load the bases. Jaramillo made a strong throw from center as the lead runner Madison Hill rounded third. Ward’s relay to third was nearly in time to catch her scrambling back but she just got in under the tag.
Staton got two strikes in on Gracie Harvey but her third pitch was lofted into right for a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
Staton kept it at that when she got Darian Hensley to tap back to the circle.
Bryant made a bid to add on in the top of the second. Shayla McKissock rapped a one-out single and moved to second on Hernandez’ groundout. Stillman came to the plate and, after fouling off five two-strike pitches, drilled a shot to deep right-center. What looked like an RBI double, however, was tracked down by Hill, the Southside centerfielder, who reached high to make an over-the-shoulder grab, saving the run.
The Lady Rebels tied it in the home half. Alyea Jackson walked, advanced on a passed ball as Jessica Mendoza squared to bunt and impaired Ward’s view of the ball. Mendoza then blooped a single to right.
With runners at the corners, Staton fanned Jasmine Dawson and got two strikes in on Paige Mendoza, the lead-off hitter. But her 2-2 delivery was yanked through the left side of the infield for an RBI single.
Hill beat out an infield hit so Southside had the bases loaded with one out and the game tied. Plus, the Lady Rebels’ top hitter, Andi Tiffee was at the plate. On Staton’s second pitch to her, Tiffee ripped a liner but it was right at Coppock at first, who speared it and stopped on the bag for an inning-ending doubleplay.
Hall pitched around a single by Jaramillo and a two-out double by Sanders in the top of the third but Williams eased through the third and the fourth.
The game-breaking top of the fifth began with a single by Stillman. With Jaramillo up to bunt, Stillman advanced on a passed ball. And when Jaramillo pulled a grounder to short, Stillman took off toward third. Southside’s Paige Mendoza fielded the ball and her only play was at third. But her throw was low and Eveld couldn’t handle it cleanly. Stillman was safe there as Jaramillo reached first.
Kayla Jolley closes in on a fly to right. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Jaramillo stole second without a throw with Coppock at the plate. That left first base open but Hill had two strikes in on the Bryant senior so they went ahead and pitched to her.
It proved to be an unwise decision. On a 1-2 delivery, Coppock shot a single up the middle to drive in both runs, making it 4-2.
“We knew that they had scouted us like we scouted them,” Clark said. “They were not going to give her pitches. We talked about hitting pitches that were hittable versus drivable. She can hit balls that are hittable but we want her to wait for those drivable pitches. And she did. That was her approach at the plate today.”
In the home fifth, Williams was helped by a stellar defensive play. Hernandez knocked down a one-hot screamer at third then Coppock scooped up her throw in the dirt for the first out.
Abby Staton (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Hill fanned then Tiffee pulled a single to left for the first safety against Williams. Eveld battled for eight pitches, fouling off three with two strikes but she wound up taking a third strike to end the inning.
Williams eased through the sixth on three throws. She was helped by a nice play by Sanders at short on a sinking liner stroked by Hensley with one out.
The Lady Hornets picked up an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Coppock and Ward singled. Sanders hit into a force at third then Jolley bounced into a force at second, just beating the relay to first, avoiding the inning-ending doubleplay. That proved crucial when Williams lashed an RBI single to left to make it 5-2.
The first two batters in the home seventh were retired but Paige Mendoza singled then Hill beat out an infield hit. That bround up Tiffee as the potential tying run. But Williams got ahead in the count and Tiffee cued a 1-2 pitch to Coppock at first for the game-ending out.
Now the Lady Hornets will face an old nemesis, the Bentonville Lady Tigers, the top seed from the West Conference. The game is today at noon. Bryant and Bentonville met in the State finals in 2012 and 2010.
