The Greenwood Lady Bulldogs softball team took some time off and spent a few days practicing during spring break last week before returning to conference play this week in the 5A West.
The GHS girls traveled to Russellville this past Tuesday for a league doubleheader, but results were not available at press time.
Head Coach Ronnie Sockey and his girls are 6-2 on the season overall, 2-0 in conference play after a pair of lopsided wins over Little Rock Christian on March 11th.
In the week leading up to spring break the Lady Bulldogs played four non-conference games, including three in tournament action at Farmington in Northwest Arkansas. They also hosted the Paris girls.
Farmington
On Friday, March 15th the GHS girls opened tournament play with a 5-4 loss to Class 6A Bentonville. Sophomore hurler Haven Clements was the tough-luck loser for the Lady Bulldogs, lasting six innings before being relieved in the seventh. She allowed 10 hits and five runs.
Offensively, Greenwood had just six hits and were held scoreless for the first three frames before plating solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings, then adding two more in the sixth to tie the score at 4-4.
The Lady Tigers got a one-out solo homerun in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead, 5-4. Clements then singled with two outs in the top of the seventh, but failed to score.
Bentonville scored single runs in the first and third innings for a 2-0 lead. Greenwood tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the fifth, but gave up the lead again in the bottom half of the frame, 4-2.
Senior Mariah Hamilton, who recently signed to play college softball for Arkansas Tech University, had two hits for Greenwood, both doubles, while scoring a run and driving one home.
Harley Terry, Haven Clements, Chloe Creekmore, and Ally Sockey all had one hit each. Creekmore and junior Rheding Wagoner both had solo RBIs.
The following day, Saturday, March 16th, the Lady Bulldogs played two games against Vilonia and Gravette, breaking out the bats against the Lady Eagles in a truncated 10-4 win, before losing a pitching duel to Gravette, 1-0.
Both teams scored twice in the opening frame, but Greenwood continued to pour it on offensively, scoring three runs in the second and five more in the third to take a 10-2 lead over Vilonia.
The Lady Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the third, but the tournament format ended the game after three frames. Rheding Wagoner earned the pitching win for Greenwood.
At the plate for Greenwood, Mariah Hamilton and Angela Price had two hits each. Both players had a homerun. Price added a pair of RBIs while Hamilton pushed three runs across the place.
Paxtyn Hayes had a hit – a double – and drove home three runs as well. Emma McCorkle, Harley Terry, and Ally Sockey had solo hits. Price and Hamilton scored three times each, while McCorkle and Hayes each scored twice.
Gravette’s 1-0 victory over Greenwood lasted six frames. Pitcher Haven Clements went all six innings for the Lady Bulldogs, who played perfect defense behind her.
But Gravette’s two pitcher were even better, holding Greenwood to just two hits, including a one-out triple by Clements in the third. A lineout to short followed and Clements was left stranded after a groundout.
Gravette’s lone run came on a one-out homer in the second. Clements allowed just three additional hits in her six innings of work.
Paris
The day before the Farmington tournament, the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Paris varsity girls, notching a six-inning 11-1 victory over the Lady Eagles. Wagoner got the pitching win for Greenwood.
She allowed just two hits and one run over five frames, striking out six hitters and walking just one. Clements then threw one scoreless inning in relief.
After giving up a run in the top half of the frame, Greenwood scored five times in the bottom of the first, sending eight hitters to the plate. Walks, errors, and numerous passed balls contributed to the big inning for the Lady Bulldogs, who also had a pair of hits in the frame.
Leading 5-1, the GHS girls added two more runs in the second, fourth, and sixth innings before the game was called at 11-1.
The top four hitters in Greenwood’s batting order (Price, Hayes, Hamilton and Sockey) combined to go 7-for-13 in the game. Hamilton had a pair of RBI triples in the first and fourth innings, while Sockey doubled and drove in three runs.
Afterward, GHS Head Coach Ronnie Sockey talked about the game.
“They (Paris) are a very good team, and one through nine they put the ball in play. We were a little shaky on defense. There were a couple of plays we should have made that gave them their run, but we stepped up and made some big plays [later],” he said.
“Offensively, we’ve had a lot of different girls [come through] in some situations and took advantage of their mistakes and found ways to score a lot of runs,” added the coach.
“If we can keep the bats going and see what we’re capable of right now, even off good pitching, hopefully we’ll get it ready by the end of the season.”
Sockey also spoke of his winning pitcher, Rheding Wagoner. “She started getting that change-up working. Her change was really good,” he said. “She got a lot of good pop-ups and ground balls.”
Leading 9-1, the Lady Bulldogs ended the contest with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and it was Wagoner’s RBI double that ended things.
Upcoming
The GHS girls have nothing else slated for this week, and will be practicing for the gauntlet of conference games just ahead, starting with a home doubleheader with Vilonia next Tuesday, April 2nd starting at 4:30 p.m.
The following weekend they will play in their last regular season tournament at South Haven, Mississippi, before traveling to Siloam Springs on April 9th for a league doubleheader.