Photos courtesy of Jon Staton
By Bridget Bauer
Macey Jaramillo tries to make a diving catch in center. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
CONWAY — Bentonville’s last two innings did in Bryant as the Lady Hornets suffered an 8-1 setback Saturday in the quarterfinals of the 7A State tournament at City of Colleges Park.
The Lady Tigers (23-4), the top seed from the West, combined for six runs in the fifth and sixth frames to cement the victory. Prior to those two stanzas, they held on to just a 2-1 edge.
“They are well-coached and are very good,” Bryant Coach Debbie Clark said. “I’m proud of our girls, and we were committed to this.”
Bryant (18-8) returned to the State tournament after an absence last season on the heels of winning three titles in a row. The Lady Hornets defeated Fort Smith Southside, 5-2, on Friday to move to the quarterfinals.
Shortstop Breanna Sanders makes a tag at second. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
“Last year was a year of peaks and valleys,” Clark said. “I feel like now we are climbing up that mountain.”
Bentonville took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Mackenzie Hardison led off with a double and later scored on Alicia Lowrey’s RBI-fielder’s choice.
However, Bryant answered in the top of the second when Jordan Williams walked and her courtesy runner, Skylar Harper, scored on Katy Stillman’s single. With the bases loaded and one out, the Lady Hornets had opportunities to get more runs but Macey Jaramillo’s hit to third base led to Shayla McKissock being thrown out at home.
Bryant started the fifth, sixth and seventh stanzas with the leadoff batter singling. Kaley Coppock started off the fifth while Kayla Jolley began the sixth with a hit. In the seventh frame, the Lady Hornets had consecutive singles courtesy of Stillman and Jaramillo. However, Bryant couldn’t tally any more runs.
Kayla Jolley hauls down a fly to right. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
“I felt like we couldn’t put an offensive string together,” Clark said. “We would have runners on and ground out or get a hit with no one on base.”
The Lady Hornets finished with seven total hits and were led by Stillman’s two-hit production. In addition to Jaramillo, Coppock and Jolly, Breanna Sanders and Tori Hernandez also smacked one-base hits.
Hernandez and Sanders made some heads-up defensive plays, and in the first inning kept Bentonville from another run when Sanders, the shortstop, converted a fielder’s choice by throwing to Hernandez at third to keep that base unoccupied. In the fifth inning, Bentonville had a runner at third who reached on an error and a runner at first. When the runner at first tried to get to second, the Lady Hornets had her in a rundown until Emma Kinsey, at third, tried to go home. Sanders threw the ball to catcher Julie Ward, who then threw to Hernandez and Kinsey was out in the rundown.
Williams pitched five innings and gave up four runs on four hits while striking out four batters and walking six. Abby Staton threw the sixth stanza and relinquished four runs on three hits and walked two batters. Bryant was also guilty of two errors, one each in the fifth and sixth innings.
Abby Staton makes a throw to first. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Kaley Coppock makes contact.(Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Jordan Williams delivers a pitch. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
Bentonville gets a force at the plate. (Photo courtesy of Jon Staton)
