Ninth-inning explosion lifts Lady Hornets past Conway
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By Rob Patrick
CONWAY, Ark. — The Bryant Lady Hornets took a huge step towards winning a 7A-Central Conference championship by avenging their lone loss in league play on Thursday night.
It wasn’t easy or free of controversy or intensity or, as it turned out, some thrills as they blew open a hotly-contested extra-inning battle with six runs in the top of the ninth inning.
The 10-4 win improved the Lady Hornets to 8-1 in league play, 16-6 overall. Conway dropped to 14-7 and 7-3. North Little Rock is 8-2 in the conference, Cabot 8-3. The Lady Hornets travel to North Little Rock on Thursday for another first-place showdown, after hosting Cabot on Tuesday. They still have a game against Central to play and two to be made up with Van Buren which came into the night with just three losses too.
“Very intense,” Bryant head coach Lisa Stanfield said of Thursday’s contest. “That’s the kind I like. It makes you want to play another game.”
The Lady Hornets trailed 4-3 going into what would’ve been their final at bat in the top of the seventh. Peyton Jenkins came through with a two-out RBI single to center to tie the game and send it to extra innings.[more]
Neither team scored in the eighth but, in the ninth, Kelsie Works began the inning at second base as a courtesy runner for Sarah Hart in accordance with the international tiebreaker rule. That, in itself, produced one in a series of controversies. Works had been a courtesy runner in the eighth inning for Jenkins, the Lady Hornets’ pitcher. Conway’s coaches contended that she had been a pinch-runner and was burned with the player she subbed for re-entered and thus couldn’t be used again. But since she had run for the pitcher, she was, in fact, a courtesy runner and could be used again. It took awhile, however, to sort that out and get it right.
When play finally resumed, Shanika Johnson came to bat and, with a two-strike count, fouled off a pitch with a slap swing that started out looking like a bunt. Initially, it was ruled that she had struck out on a two-strike foul bunt but, on appeal, it was ruled that she had, indeed, turned her bunt into a swing in time to stay alive at the plate. Conway took its turn at protesting but the call stood and, moments later, Johnson reached on a third-strike pitch in the dirt.
“Those are two good umpires,” Stanfield commented. “It seemed like we had 20 close plays. They could go either way so (the controversies) didn’t surprise me.”
Kim Wilson followed with a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third for senior Paige Turpin. With two strikes, Turpin slashed a sinking liner to left that fell in despite a diving attempt to catch it by the Conway left-fielder. The ball rolled away and Turpin sprinted into second as Works and Johnson scored to snap the tie as the Lady Hornets and their fans erupted.
Jenna Bruick followed with a single to center that might’ve gotten Turpin home if she hadn’t run into the Conway shortstop. Despite calls for interference and some discussion, Turpin remained at third. A pitch later, Bruick took second.
Kayla Sory lofted a single to right to drive in Turpin, making it 7-4. Christen Kirchner followed with a shot to third that was snared but then juggled before a throw was made just enough to allow Kirchner to reach base safely as Bruick scored. Sory got to third and with Conway preoccupied with keeping her from advancing further, Kirchner hustled into second to set the table for Jenkins who drilled a two-run single to center to cap things off.
“They just don’t give up,” Stanfield observed. “Paige’s hit was big. When I looked up and she was on second, that’s when I had an easier feeling but, you know, I’m never laid back. But that’s when it felt good. Then Peyton had another big hit up the middle.”
Jenkins, who relieved Kirchner as the pitcher in the fifth, retired the Lady Cats in order on a pair of infield pops then a splendid play at third by Jessie Taylor, who grabbed a hot shot with a dive to her right and threw to first to end it.
Jenkins’ performance was a welcome sight. Not only was she effective — she allowed just two hits in five innings — she was not called for an illegal pitch, something that had plagued her in recent games.
“She did very good,” Stanfield stated. “I felt like Conway kind of felt they had a little momentum going there (in the fifth). Kirchner was throwing well and she’s strong enough to go seven but I felt like we needed a break in the pace of the game. Peyton was able to come in and do that.
“I feel like she’s overcome that,” she said of the illegal pitches. “Maybe everyone was expecting her to do that but we’ve worked extremely hard. I think we’re past that.”
The Lady Hornets had claimed a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Bruick slapped a lead-off single and Sory cracked a double to send her to third. Kirchner singled in the first run and advanced to second. Moments later, Sory scored on a passed ball. Kirchner came home on Johnson’s groundout to short.
In the bottom of the inning, Bailey Prout walked and Nikol Domengeaux beat out an infield hit but Kirchner settled in and retired the next three to leave them stranded and the lead intact.
After Bryant was unable to add to the margin after a single by Wilson and an error that allowed Turpin to reach, Conway broke through. With one out, Mandy Eggert singled and Emily Hoover was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, Jordon Yandell singled them in.
Kirchner and her teammates proceeded to retire eight in a row after that. A little more controversy occurred in the top of the fourth when Johnson singled and stole second then tried to tag and go to third on a long fly to center by Wilson. It was ruled that Johnson left the base too soon and she was called out despite Bryant protests.
Hart was hit by a pitch with one out in the fifth but Works, running for her, was thrown out trying to steal so it remained 3-2 going into the home fifth.
Yandell started a Conway uprising with a single and stolen base. Prout reached on an error as Yandell scored. Domengeaux beat out a bunt single to plate Prout, making it 4-3. Jenkins relieved at that point and retired the next two to get out of the inning.
In the sixth, Conway threatened again when J.B. Davis was awarded first on catcher’s interference then Kayce Moore beat out an infield hit. But Jenkins wriggled off the hook with a groundout and a pair of strikeouts.
Wilson reached on an error to start the top of the seventh. She was forced out on a grounder by Turpin who was, in turn, forced out on a grounder by Bruick. The inning continued when Sory reached on an error and Kirchner walked to load the bases for Jenkins who singled to center to tie the game. Sory tried to score the go-ahead run but was trapped between third and home and tagged out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Jenkins worked around a walk and a two-out single by Natalye Chudy, getting Davis to pop out to second, sending it to extra innings.
Works, running for Jenkins, started the top of the eighth at second but she was tagged out trying to go to third on Taylor’s bunt. Taylor hustled to second but was doubled up when Hart’s liner was caught.
Davis started the bottom of the eighth at second and quickly advanced to third on a wild pitch. But Jenkins got Moore to bounce back to her for an out, then Eggert flew out to shallow left. Hoover, however, was hit by a pitch, bringing up Yandell who already had two hits in the game. This time though, she popped to Taylor at third to end the threat, setting the stage for Bryant’s game-turning top of the ninth.
Sam
That is a pretty good article there.