After dropping their first three games, all on the road, the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs’ softball team earned their first victory of the 2013 season in their home opener on Tuesday, March 12th. Their opponent was Russellville and it was also the 7A/6A Central conference opener for Greenwood, which won the game in lopsided fashion, 11-2. It was also the first victory for new GHS head coach Ronnie Sockey.
The GHS girls opened their season with a 11-9 loss at Waldron, a 2-1 defeat at Van Buren, and a 13-1 blowout loss at Farmington. But against the Russellville Lady Cyclones, Greenwood scored early and often, taking a 10-1 lead after three innings, before cruising to the easy win. The home team had 14 hits to just four for Russellville, which scored single runs in the second and fifth innings.
The Lady Bulldogs plated three runners in the bottom of the first, five in the second, and added two more in the third for good measure. Their final run came in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman hurler Victoria Taylor went all seven innings for Greenwood, throwing 23 first-pitch strikes and fanning six Russellville hitters.
While Greenwood played solid defense, committing only one error in the game, it was the bats that did most of the talking. Five doubles and a triple highlighted the offensive attack led by senior Allie Barnes with a first-inning RBI double. She finished the game with three hits and three runs driven home. Mariko McCraney and Brooke Kiene also had three hits each. Kiene had two RBIs as did Madison Jewell.
The Lady Bulldogs were slated to participate in a weekend tournament at Farmington starting on Friday, March 15th, before taking a week off from competition for spring break. They will resume the regular season schedule on Monday, March 25th at Farmington again in a non-conference game, before taking on the Lady Rebels of Fort Smith Southside in league play on Tuesday the 26th. Both games will be played on the GHS campus. The start time for each game is 5 p.m.