At the start of this week, the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs (19-5, 10-2) had the best overall winning percentage (.972) in the 5A West, yet they reside in third place in the conference standings behind Greenbrier (12-7, 10-0) and Beebe (9-1, 14-4). Alma is in fourth place, three games behind Greenwood.
It’s probably a fluke of the schedule that Greenbrier sits atop the league rankings. They have yet to play Greenwood or Beebe, teams that appear to be better than the Lady Panthers.
On the other hand, the Lady Badgers of Beebe are the real deal, having pulled off a road sweep of a doubleheader at Greenwood last week.
As of this writing, both Beebe and Greenbrier have played just 10 league games, compared to 12 for Greenwood. Greenbrier and Beebe were slated to play this past Tuesday night as well.
The Lady Bulldogs have one series remaining, a twinbill at Greenbrier next Tuesday which could decide the conference championship or at least determine seeding for the state tournament.
Alma
This past Monday the GHS girls took their show on the road to Crawford County and put a beat down on the Lady Airedales, 12-2 in the opener and 15-0 in the nightcap. Neither game went longer than five innings.
The Lady Bulldogs scored three times in the top of the first inning and added six more runs in the second for a 9-0 advantage. They added two more insurance runs in the third for an 11-0 lead.
Junior Paxtyn Hayes was the hitting star for the visitors. She went 3-for-4 and drove home five runs in the contest. She had a two-run single to get things rolling in the first, added a two-run triple to the right-field corner in the second, then had a run-producing single in the fifth.
Fellow junior Harley Terry also had a big game, going 3-for-4 with run-scoring singles in her first three at bats. Ally Sockey, Mariah Hamilton, and Chloe Creekmore all had two hits each. Sockey and Hamilton both scored three runs and Hamilton added an RBI.
Winning pitcher Rheding Wagoner also had an RBI double and an RBI triple in consecutive innings. In the circle she allowed just six hits and no earned runs. Both Alma runs scored as a result of Greenwood defensive errors in the windy conditions.
In game two the Lady Bulldogs scored in the opening frame on a two-run homer by Hamilton. They added six more runs in the second and finished things off with a seven-spot in the third and final frame.
Greenwood out-hit Alma 11-1 and the game was called after three innings. Sophomore Haven Clements started the game for the Lady Bulldogs and earned the pitching victory. She allowed just one hit and no walks.
Emma McCorkle, Chloe Creekmore, and Hamilton all collected two hits each. Hamilton ended the game with four RBIs. Creekmore added two runs driven in. Ally Sockey scored three times to lead the team.
Gravette
Last Friday the Lady Bulldogs got a measure of revenge for an earlier non-conference loss to Gravette. Back on March 16th Greenwood lost at Gravette, 1-0. Last Friday they won at home, 7-3.
Rheding Wagoner got off to a rocky start in the circle, giving up all three Gravette runs in the top of the first. But she settled down afterward and put up zeroes over the next four frames before being relieved.
Haven Clements took over in the sixth and gave up two hits, but the defense turned in two double plays to help her out. Wagoner gave up six hits and three walks. Neither pitcher recorded a strikeout.
Greenwood scored two runs in both the first and second innings to take the lead, 4-3, then added a solo run in the fifth and two more in the sixth on a total of nine hits.
At the plate, junior Angela Price had two hits, an RBI, and scored three runs. Mariah Hamilton also had a pair of hits, both doubles, driving home two and scoring once.
Beebe
Last Tuesday, April 17th, the GHS girls suffered a devastating and totally unexpected doubleheader sweep at the hands of the visiting Lady Badgers, 6-5 and 5-2.
Outfielder Paxtyn Hayes summed up how she and her teammates felt after the back-to-back home losses.
“It was pretty frustrating, but we still have to learn from it and get better,” she said. “A lot of us weren’t expecting how good they actually were. We didn’t show up ready to play.”
A four-run outburst in the top of the first inning got Beebe off to a great start. The Lady Badgers added solo runs in the fifth and seventh innings as well.
Greenwood was held scoreless through five before breaking through with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the one-run loss.
Haven Clements pitched all seven innings for the Lady Bulldogs, allowing all six runs on nine hits, walking just one batter. Two of Beebe’s runs were unearned due to three GHS errors.
At the plate Greenwood was led by Hayes with three hits and two RBIs, including a pair of doubles. Harley Terry, Ally Sockey, and Mariah Hamilton all had two hits each.
In game two starting pitching Rheding Wagoner played with dynamite throughout her seven innings of work, yielding 13 hits while walking just one hitter. Her defense was solid, making just one error, but it did lead to an unearned run for the visitors. She stranded numerous baserunners.
Beebe led 1-0 after a tally in the top of the second, then added two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. Greenwood scored twice in the fourth for a short-lived lead. The Lady Bulldogs managed just five hits in the game.
Van Buren
On April 12th the GHS girls pummeled the Lady Pointers with 15 hits and 18 runs in an 18-1 non-conference victory at Van Buren.
Greenwood scored in all five innings, including four in the first, two in the second, four more in the third, one in the fourth, and seven runs in the fifth frame.
Clements and Wagoner split the pitching duties with Clements getting the three-inning start and the victory. She gave up one hit, one run, and fanned two hitters. Wagoner got the final six outs for the save.
Offensively, Clements, Hamilton, Wagoner, and Price all had multiple hits. Clements led the Lady Bulldogs with three hits in three at bats.
Price led the team with three runs scored. Harley Terry (2), Hallie Jones (2), Natalie Thomas (2), Ally Sockey (2), and Mariah Hamilton (3) were the RBI leaders.
Siloam Springs
The GHS girls traveled north on April 10th for a conference doubleheader against the Lady Panthers, winning both games in blowout fashion, 19-1 and 16-0.
In the afternoon opener the bats were hot from the outset, pounding out 15 hits over four innings. Greenwood scored four times in the first, three times in both the second and third innings, then added nine runs in the fourth, taking advantage of seven Siloam Springs’ errors.
Clements, Thomas, Hayes, and Sockey all had two hits for Greenwood. One of Sockey’s hits left the yard and she led the team with four RBIs. Karli Fisher, Macey Cutsinger, and Hayes all drove home two runs each.
Haven Clements earned the pitching victory, going all four innings, allowing one run on four hits with nine strikeouts.
Rheding Wagoner was the starter and winner in game two, also going four innings, allowing no runs on just one hit, striking out seven and walking one.
After a scoreless first inning, the Lady Bulldogs began pouring it on in the second with seven runs. They added four runs in the third and five more in the fourth before the game ended after the home half of the frame. Siloam Springs made five errors in the game.
Harley Terry led the way with three hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Wagoner, Sockey, and Chloe Creekmore all had two hits each. Sockey and Karli Fisher both had two RBIs.
Upcoming
The GHS girls will play a non-conference game this Friday at Bentonville before going to Greenbrier next Tuesday for their regular season finale.
The state tournament begins May 9th at Benton, and while the GHS girls are almost certainly assured of being one of the 16 teams invited, their seeding remains uncertain.
Only the top four teams in each conference earn a post-season bid.