Archive - Sports Article
April 29th, 2011
With North Little Rock losing twice to Russellville in a doubleheader Wednesday, Bryant has retaken first place in the 7A Central Conference.
Thursday the Lady Hornets faced the team that handed North Little Rock its only losses of the season, and won decidedly 10-0 in six innings.
Head coach Debbie Clark said, âI was very pleased with their discipline and team play.â
Clark said pitcher Peyton Jenkins had been feeling under the weather, so she asked the Lady Hornets to take their time at the plate in order to give Jenkins time to rest between innings.
April 27th
With three starters potentially returning to the lineup, Bauxite head coach Wes Mode hopes the Lady Miners can produce some last-minute magic at the 4A-7 District Tournament in Ashdown.
If proven to be fully recovered, returning for the Lady Miners will be junior Bethany Edwards, sophomore Allie Beech and senior Shelby Wingate.
Both Edwards, Bauxiteâs starting pitcher, and Wingate, who Mode said will start at first base, have been recovering from surgery. Beech broke a bone in her pinky finger earlier this season.
BENTON â For the first time in his 21 years at Benton High School, coach Mark Balisterri witnessed the impossible. After trailing 11-0 after the top of the second inning, the Panthers were able to kick, scratch and crawl back to defeat Sheridan 12-11 at home Wednesday afternoon.
âIâve never had a team down 11-0 and come back like that,â Balisterri said. âWe came back because we hit the ball.
âCarson came in and just a phenomenal job [pitching] after being roughed up for five runs in the second.â
With an undefeated conference record, the Glen Rose Lady Beavers are going into the 3A-5 District Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
In doing so, Glen Rose has a bye until the semifinal round of the tournament, which is scheduled to start Friday at Mayflower.
No matter what happens Saturday, when the Lady Beavers first play, head coach Kyle Lem said his team will advance to the 3A Regional Tournament held at Harding Academy in Searcy starting Friday, May 6.
However, donât expect the Lady Beavers to roll over any time soon.
âObviously we want to win so we can get a higher seed,â Lem said.
With the rain and weather Saline County has received in the last couple of days, the phrase âeverybody is in the same boatâ flirts with being a bad pun rather than a tired out cliche.
But for the Harmony Grove Lady Cardinals (and the rest of the 3A-5 Conference), everybody is in the same boat as most of the teams have not played in nearly a week due to the constant interruptions by Mother Nature.
âI am worried about being rusty and all that stuff,â coach Sammi Massey said. âMainly, Iâm a little concerned with our defense. We havenât been able to get on the field to practice.â
April 26th
The Miners are scheduled to play their last conference game today at Pulaski Academy. However, if the game is rained out â like Mondayâs game against Horatio â head coach Michael Mattox said both teams will likely take a loss.
As of now, Bauxite has an 11-12 overall record and is 2-4 in 4A-7 Conference play. Mattox said a loss will not change his teamâs No. 6 seed in the district tournament, which is set to begin Wednesday in De Queen.
âIt wonât change our situation,â he said, adding that PAâs loss will move De Queen from a three seed to a four, and Ashdown from a four to a three.
April 25th
The Bryant Hornets scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to defeat Van Buren 5-4 in the second game of a double header Friday night.
After winning the first game 12-2, the Hornets had to hold off a 7th inning rally by the Pointers to earn the sweep. WIth one out, Van Buren would load the bases thanks to a walk, and a pair of singles. Bryant pitcher Dylan Cross would get out of it, striking out the two final batters.
April 23rd
In her first game for the Lady Miners three years ago, Elizabeth Harris didn't even know where she would be in the lineup, which head coach Wes Mode announced as the game was starting against the defending state champions.
"My name was first, and I was playing center field," she said. "I looked at coach Mode and said, 'Are you nuts?!'"
The freshman leadoff hitter, who's now a senior and still bats first in the Bauxite lineup, calmed her nerves, stepped up to the plate and hit a double.
"After that hit I was fine," she said.
In a 6A South battle Friday night, Benton and Texarkana went into extra innings with Benton winning 3-2 thanks to a clutch two-out hit by senior Ashton Roberts.
Tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth with junior Garrison Roy on second base, Roberts hit a double to score Roy, which would prove to be the winning run after the Panthers held Texarkana scoreless in its next at bat.
Benton (17-4, 9-2 6A South) remains in first place in the conference and will host Sheridan at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
April 22nd
BRYANT â Bryant took the first game of a doubleheader Friday against Van Buren, which was postponed Thursday due to inclement weather.
The Hornets won 12-2 in six innings. The results of the second game were not available by press time.
Bryant (17-4, 7-2 7A Central) went into Fridayâs game with a two-game lead in the conference.
Junior Jordan Taylor pitched all six innings for the Hornets and earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
Head coach Kirk Bock said, âJordan did a great job today.â
