ROGERS — Springdale Har-Ber couldn’t take advantage of a second opportunity after losing a 7A/6A-West Conference game on Thursday night.
Chandler Little had an RBI single in the fourth inning to break a tie and give Rogers a 3-2 victory Friday over the Lady Wildcats at Veterans Park. The 7A/6A-West Conference matchup was a makeup from Tuesday when the game was rained out.
Winning pitcher Haley Zimmerman had an RBI double while Har-Ber pitcher Emily Stockalper hit a two-run home run for her team’s only runs. The loss was the second in consecutive nights for Har-Ber (6-6, 3-3), which fell behind 8-0 and lost 8-6 against Fayetteville.
Har-Ber had 10 hits in that game but the Lady Wildcats could only manage three on Friday against Zimmerman.
Zimmerman was cruising on the mound until Tiffani Ray reached on a single in the fourth inning. Stockalper, who had three hits against Fayetteville on Thursday, then hit a two-run home run off the fielder’s glove in center field.
Rogers (9-6, 3-1) responded quickly in the bottom of the fourth. Kylan Hensley and Kristen Duch hit singles before Little brought home the lead run with a base hit that got past a diving Bethan Doty at second base. Rogers had an opportunity to add to its lead but third baseman Kylie Buttram made a stab of a line drive with two runners on base.
“That was a good hit by Chandler and that’s why she’s there in the No. 3 hole,” Rogers coach Mike Harper said. “Momentum’s a big deal, especially in a tight game like this. We had a couple of chances early to bust the game open, but there were some good plays on both sides. It was a great game to watch.”
Har-Ber didn’t do much at the plate besides Stockalper, who added a double in the second inning but was left stranded. Zimmerman retired six consecutive batters before hitting a batter in the sixth inning. She retired the next five batters and had two strikeouts in the seventh to end the game.
“This is a huge win for us,” said Harper, whose game at Siloam Springs on Thursday was rained out. “It puts at 3-1 and gives us a chance to compete for a conference championship, which is what we’re here for.”
Har-Ber will try to regroup in a non-conference game against Fort Smith Southside at Arkansas Tech on Monday. The Lady Wildcats will then return to conference play at Springdale on Tuesday.
“At this point, this is where the true character will shine of the 19 girls that wear that uniform,” Har-Ber coach Lynn Lawson said. “There’s eight (conference) games left and we’ve just got to worry about ourselves.”
Springdale Har-Ber 000 200 0 — 2 3 1
Rogers High 110 100 X — 3 8 0
Stockalper and Ray; Zimmerman and Kinney. WP — Zimmerman. LP — Stockalper. HR – Stockalper.