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 then participated in a weekend tournament at Farmington starting on Friday, March 15th, before taking a week off from competition for spring break. They opened play with a five-inning 4-0 shutout win over Gentry High School behind excellent pitching by Kelsey Knox, who gave up just three hits while going the distance. The GHS girls scored twice in the bottom of the first and plated two more in the third for the victory. Abbey Lejong had two hits, Brooke Kiene earned two walks, and Jade Pate drove home a pair of runs.
The following day Greenwood lost to Fort Smith Southside in a squeaker, 7-6. After giving up three runs in the top of the first, the Lady Bulldogs scored twice themselves in the bottom half of the frame, then fell behind 5-2 after four innings. A three-spot in the fifth for the Lady Bulldogs tied the score temporarily, but a pair of Southside runs in the top of the seventh proved to be the difference. Greenwood rallied in its final at bat, scoring a run, but came up short.
Kameron Brewer had two hits for the Lady Bulldogs, while Brewer and Abbey Lejong both had RBIs in the game. Knox pitched all seven innings for Greenwood and took the loss.
On Saturday, March 16th, the GHS girls lost to Mena, 7-3, despite the performance of senior Allie Barnes, who had a double, an RBI, and two stolen bases in the contest. Kameron Brewer also added a double and RBI, with the third run driven home by Jade Pate.
Greenwood scored all of its runs in the first frame and led 3-1 after one inning. But Mena added two runs in the third and four more in the top of the fifth for the 7-3 final score. Freshman Victoria Taylor hurled all five innings for the Lady Bulldogs, taking the loss.
Later on that same day, Greenwood and Fayetteville battled to a 1-0 score with the Lady Bulldogs coming out on top behind the strong pitching performance of Taylor, who went all five innings. She fanned eight Fayetteville hitters in the game. There were a total of seven hits in the contest, four of those by Greenwood. Devyn Gregory drove home the only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning for the win. Greenwood committed the only error of the contest.
The Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to resume their regular season schedule this past Monday, again at Farmington in a non-conference game, but the extremely cold and windy conditions made that game problematic. They were also slated to take on the Lady Rebels of Fort Smith Southside in league play on Tuesday, before taking part in tournament play at Van Buren this coming weekend.