The Lady Bulldogs now stand at 4-4 in 5A West Conference play, after splitting a pair of league road games at Harrison last Thursday, following a disappointing doubleheader loss to Huntsville on April 6th. In between, the Greenwood girls defeated Van Buren in non-conference play, 4-3, getting a walk-off game-winning hit by junior Jade Pate. With the season winding down, the Lady Bulldogs will soon face their toughest stretch of games against Vilonia, Greenbrier, and Alma.
On Friday, April 6th, the Huntsville Lady Eagles came to Greenwood for a conference twinbill, winning game one 4-2, then holding on for a 7-6 victory in the nightcap in eight innings. Huntsville scored twice in the opening frame of game one, then twice more in the top of the seventh for the win. Greenwood tied the game in the fifth inning with two runs, but were held to just four hits in the game. Stephanie Brown took the pitching loss for the Lady Bulldogs.
In game two, Huntsville scored twice in the first inning and once in the fourth. Greenwood tied the game with three runs in the third, leaving the score knotted at 3-3 after seven innings. The Lady Eagles scored four runs in the top of the eighth with three singles and a walk, taking a 7-3 lead. The Lady Bulldogs rallied as well in the bottom half of the frame, scoring three times, but came up a run short in the 7-6 loss. Mariko McCraney was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI for Greenwood. Brooke Kiene was 3-for-5 with a triple. Allie Barnes had two hits, including a double. The Lady Bulldogs had 11 hits in the game, and pitcher Stephanie Brown also took the loss in game two.
“It was frustrating,” said Greenwood assistant coach Kenny Barnes. “We have to be more patient at the plate. We got a lot of baserunners on and didn’t take advantage of them because we swung at bad pitches early in the count. The best thing we did was score three runs in the eighth, so at least we kept battling. I was glad to see that.”
Last Thursday, fans were treated to a high-scoring affair as Greenwood took on Harrison at Community First Bank Sports Complex in Harrison. In the first game of the conference doubleheader, the teams traded runs for most of the contest, with several lead changes. Pitcher Jordan Mahan got the win in the opener for Greenwood, despite allowing eight runs over seven innings. Mahan struck out four, walked one, and surrendered nine hits.
In the top of the first, Greenwood grabbed an early 2-0 lead. The scoring started when senior third baseman Audra Schluterman singled. A hit by Allie Barnes moved Schluterman from first to second, before Jade Pate doubled, plating both runners. But Harrison rallied with two runs of its own in the first to tie the game.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled out the win thanks to a strong sixth inning. Greenwood went up for good on a two-run double by Stephanie Brown, scoring Kameron Brewer and Devyn Gregory. Allie Barnes was a perfect 2-2 at the dish, plus a pair of walks for Greenwood. With the help of an error, Greenwood finally finished off the Lady Goblins 10-8 in seven innings.
In the second game, it took eight innings, but Harrison finally squeaked out a 13-12 win over the Lady Bulldogs. Greenwood’s offensive leader was freshman centerfielder Abbey Lejong, who had four hits, a walk, and scored four runs. Junior shortstop Allie Barnes and junior first baseman Kameron Brewer also combined for seven RBIs in game two.
Greenwood was ahead 10-6 with two outs in the seventh inning, when a weird officiating call helped turn the tide of the game in Harrison’s favor. With a runner on first, the Lady Goblins hit into what should have been a force out at second base, but the outfield umpire was unaware of the ball’s location, allowing the runner at second to be called safe. Harrison then produced several more hits to extend the contest before Greenwood could get the third out. Harrison won the game with three runs in the eighth inning.
“The girls still have to face the top three teams in the conference to finish out the season,” said head coach Michael Lejong. “ We are going to have to find a way to win and make the most of our last few conference games.” The Lady Bulldogs face Vilonia on the road this Friday, and still have to face Greenbrier and Alma at home.