In baseball and softball parlance, the battery consists of the pitcher and catcher. And while the other seven players and the defense were important last Saturday, the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs mostly relied on the duo of starting pitcher Victoria Taylor and catcher Syndey Parker in capturing their first 6A fast-pitch state softball championship. Greenwood defeated Sheridan, 3-0.
Taylor won the game’s Most Valuable Player award with her two-hit, 10-strikeout effort. And just when the game appeared to be a pitching duel between Taylor and Sheridan’s Morgan Burke, Parker broke up the scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Lady ‘Dogs added an insurance run in the fifth with some aggressive base running by Hannah Booker.
Saturday’s title game was played at Bogle Park, the home of the Lady Razorbacks on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, despite overcast skies, for the 10 a.m. contest. Several hundred GHS and Sheridan fans were in attendance.
The Lady Yellowjackets were a two-seed from the 6A South, while the Lady Bulldogs were the one-seed from the 6A East. Greenwood had earlier defeated Benton (South #1) in state tournament play to advance to the championship game. Sheridan had beaten Alma and Marion in tournament play before facing the Lady Bulldogs.
For the first three frames there was no score. Taylor allowed a hit and a walk in the top of the first, but got a pair of Ks and a popup to end the inning. She would dominate the rest of the way, retiring 11 straight before allowing two more base runners in the fifth inning.
For Sheridan, Burke retired the Lady Bulldogs in order in each of the first three innings. But in the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Bulldogs got the break they needed. Leadoff hitter Sydnie Henson dropped down a short bunt only inches in front of the plate, but used her speed to beat the throw for Greenwood’s first base runner.
Senior Abbey Lejong then advanced Henson to second with another bunt, bringing up Parker, who also drove home the winner in Greenwood’s 1-0 victory over Benton in the state semi-finals. On Burke’s second pitch, the sophomore backstop came through once again, smacking a deep fly ball over the wall in left field, sending GHS fans to their feet and giving the Lady Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Greenwood got an important insurance run in the fifth, after sophomore Tatum Holland reached base on an error to start the frame. Head Coach Ronnie Sockey then inserted courtesy runner Hannah Booker, wearing a cast on her right arm to protect a broken wrist suffered earlier in the week. The coach then called for a bunt-and-run play.
Senior Devyn Gregory laid down the bunt, and while Sheridan was occupied with the play at first, Booker continued around second and headed for third. But the threw across the diamond sailed into foul territory down the left field line, allowing the sliding Booker to scramble to her feet and score Greenwood’s final run. That was more than enough for Victoria Taylor, though she got some welcome help from her defense to preserve the shutout.
In the top half of the fifth, with the score still 2-0, Sheridan lost a runner on the bases when a fly ball was turned into a double play by GHS leftfielder Kelsey Knox. In the sixth inning, when the Lady Jackets brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, Taylor got a pop-up in foul territory. Greenwood first baseman Phoebe Ulmer made a nice sliding catch to end the inning and the scoring threat.
In the top of the seventh, Taylor got a popup to shortstop Madison Jewell to begin the frame. She then gave up a one-out walk before striking out the next batter. Then with a 1-2 count on Sheridan leadoff hitter Maggie Hicks, Taylor unleashed a rising fastball and got Hicks to chase it for her 10th strikeout and the final out of the game, giving the Lady Bulldogs their first state fast-pitch championship.
It was the first state title for the Lady Bulldogs’ softball program since 1998 (slo-pitch). Greenwood, which finished the season with an impressive 25-6 record, also won the title in just its third season under Coach Sockey, who previously coached in Oklahoma.
“I knew we had some great players and good pitching,” said the coach after the game. “We just put it all together, and our girls [came] together and started to believe they are a good team, and go win games. Those were the kind of games we were losing in the past,” added Sockey.
“We’ve been playing with the good teams every year,” he continued. “We just had to find a way to get over that hump and go win with our defense, and just trusting [our] offense to go get us a couple of runs.”
Sockey said it was Sydnie Henson’s bunt that set the table for Parker’s long ball. “She used her speed right there and trusted her ability to put the bunt down and got us going,” said the coach. “Another sac bunt (by Devyn Gregory) got her into scoring position, trusting our three and four hole [batters] to drive her in,” he added. “That’s kind of been the (approach) for us all year - getting people on and finding ways to score.”
“We were in the same position [as] in our semifinal game,” said Parker, the game’s offensive hero. “[We had] a runner at second and me up to bat, and I just felt like I needed to do my job and get her in. I was trying for a base hit, but it turned out to be more, and it was the best moment of my life. I looked up and I saw it, and I just started jumping up and down around the bases.”
As for Taylor, the junior hurler overcame some early nerves and settled in nicely. “I kind of got a little nervous because of [Sheridan’s] hitting,” she admitted after the game. “But I knew I had a good defense behind me. My defense backed me up well, and I’m proud of them.” Ironically, Greenwood lost to Sheridan, 2-0, in early April in tournament play at Van Buren, but Taylor did not pitch in that game.
Concerning his ace hurler, Coach Sockey said, “Once she settled in, we knew if we could get one or two [runs], we were right there to win it. Sheridan is a great hitting team, and for her to get that 10th strikeout on that last batter was big,” said the coach. “I trusted her on that last pitch. I gave her the sign and told her it was her call – whatever she wanted to throw – and she got it done. So she’s learning how to pitch.”
While the coach said it was a great feeling to win state, with players like Taylor, Parker, and several others coming back, the coach is high on his team’s chances to return to the big stage next year and for several years to come. “We’ve got a great bunch of girls that will be back next year, so we’re expecting to have a shot back here again. It’s only the beginning,” said the confident Sockey. The team is losing five seniors this season.
State Tournament
After earning a top seed and a first-round bye, the Lady Bulldogs battled the elements and defeated Lake Hamilton and Benton in the state tournament held in Marion two weeks ago. The tournament was delayed by heavy rain, and Greenwood’s game with Lake Hamilton was interrupted by a weather delay. The suspended game was later resumed and the Lady Bulldogs won handily, 8-1.
Victoria Taylor started the game and pitched four innings. She was later relieved by Kalia Cartwright, who pitched the second half of the suspended game. Both hurlers had seven strikeouts each.
Offensively, Madison Jewell and Phoebe Ulmer had three hits apiece, while Mikayleigh Davis added two hits. Jewell had two RBIs and Ulmer added one run batted in.
Greenwood scored three times in the first inning and four times in the third. They added a final run in the bottom of the fourth, and led 8-0 before Lake Hamilton scored its lone run in the seventh. The Lady Bulldogs out-hit their opponents 13-4.
Originally slated to end on Saturday, May 16th, the state semi-finals weren’t played until Monday the 18th. Sheridan defeated Marion to advance to the finals, and Greenwood edged Benton 1-0 in a battle between two number one seeds.
It was a complete game victory for Taylor and the Lady Bulldogs, who scored the game’s only run in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI hit by Syndey Parker.
Taylor notched 12 strikeouts in the game and limited the Lady Tigers to just one hit. Greenwood had four total hits and played perfect defense behind Taylor.