Bentonville's Vaughan Throws Perfect Game

— Morgan Vaughan has thrown a perfect game before, so her gem on Tuesday against Rogers High was not the first time she's flirted with perfection.

This one was perhaps just a little sweeter considering it featured her own two-run RBI double, and it came over Bentonville's closest rival.

How They Scored

Bentonville 3, Rogers High 0

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Bentonville^000^003^x^-^3^5^0

Zimmerman, Prough (6) and Kinney; Vaughan and Fears. W - Vaughan, 5-0. L - Zimmerman. HRs - None.

Vaughan had just two strikeouts, and retired 19 batters on ground balls as the Lady Tigers blanked Rogers 3-0 in 7A/6A-West softball action at the Tiger Athletic Complex.

"I've done this a couple of times," Vaughan said. "Once in high school back home in DeWitt, and quite a few times in travel ball."

Vaughan (5-0) said getting Rogers to hit the ball on the ground was the gameplan. She was able to execute it to perfection.

"I trust my defense totally," she said.

Bentonville coach Kent Early said Vaughan's perfect game was the sixth by a Bentonville pitcher since he's been the softball coach.

"She did her job," Early said. "The whole point is to pound the strike zone, and that's what she did. And we were fortunate enough that we made the plays today. She threw strikes."

Vaughan and Rogers starter Haylee Zimmerman each dominated for five innings, throwing up zeros on the scoreboard. Zimmerman held Bentonville (5-0, 3-0 7A/6A-West) to just one hit through five innings. But the Lady Tigers finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Claire Lacina led off with an infield single and Payton Wildeman scorched a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Rogers coach Mike Harper replaced Zimmerman with Maddy Prough, who got a strikeout and had Vaughan down 1-2, But the Lady Mounties (3-8, 1-2) could not escape the jam.

Vaughan crushed Prough's next offering off the base of the fence in center field, easily scoring both Lacina and Wildeman.

"We had it set up for a sacrifice fly, that's what we were going for," Early said. "Honestly, it's 225 feet with an 8-foot fence. Anywhere else in America, that's a home run."

The Lady Tigers added a third run in the inning on Mackenzie Hardison's RBI single for the 3-0 lead.

Harper credited Vaughan and Bentonville's defense for the win.

"She threw really well," Harper said. "She hit her spots more than anything else and they played great defense behind her. We're better than that at the plate, but give it to Bentonville, they played great today."

The Lady Tigers will return to action on Thursday when they host Van Buren. Rogers will host Fayetteville, also on Thursday.

Sports on 04/02/2014

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