BENTONVILLE
Infield Lends Hands In Perfection
Morgan Vaughan was credited with pitching the perfect game Tuesday afternoon, but Bentonville’s infield did its part to keep its 3-0 win over Rogers High a perfect one.
Vaughan and third baseman Alicia Lowrey, shortstop Payton Wildeman, second baseman Emma Kinsey and first baseman Shayli Martin combined to field the ball 19 times out of the 21 outs the Lady Tigers (5-0, 3-0 7A/6A-West) recorded without making a fielding or throwing error.
“They made the routine plays,” Bentonville coach Kent Early said. “That’s the biggest thing about high school softball. You have to make the routine plays and get the timely hits, and that’s really what we did.
“There was one play at first that was a one-hop line drive that Shayli made a good play on, and another with Jennifer Gonzalez down the third-base line. She hit a two-hopper and it was a close play, but we made a good play and got the out by a step and a half.”
CONFERENCE STANDING
7A/6A-WEST SOFTBALL
Team * Overall W-L * Conf. W-L
Bentonville * 5-0 * 3-0
Van Buren * 11-1 * 2-0
Rogers Heritage * 5-4 * 2-1
Fayetteville * 7-5 * 1-1
Springdale Har-Ber * 6-3 * 1-2
Springdale High * 6-6 * 1-2
Rogers High * 3-8 * 1-2
Siloam Springs * 7-7 * 0-3
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
Rogers Heritage 6, Fayetteville 3 Van Buren 5, Springdale Har-Ber 3 Springdale High 6, Siloam Springs 3 Bentonville 3, Rogers High 0
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Fayetteville at Rogers High Springdale High at Rogers Heritage Van Buren at Bentonville Springdale Har-Ber at Siloam Springs
It was the effort that Early wanted to see from his team after a lengthy layoff. It was Bentonville’s first game since its 10-0 win over Siloam Springs on March 20.
“We wondered how the reps would go because our sport is about timing,” Early said. “It’s about repetition and we need it, but we needed the layoff, too. Any time you have five days off, you’re going to be rusty, and we played well.”
ROGERS HIGH
Home Opener For Rogers High
Rogers High has played 11 softball games but the Lady Mounties will play at home for the first time this season when they host Fayetteville today in a 7A/6A-West Conference game. The Lady Mounties have had two home games snowed out.
Rogers (3-8) is off to a 1-2 start in the league and coach Mike Harper said the game is a big one in a conference that is balanced from top to bottom. Rogers advanced to the Class 7A State championship game last season and the Lady Mounties have several key players back.
“We are all excited about playing at home, and we tend to play better there,” Harper said. “I think this is a very big game on our schedule for sure. It’s the next one, but if we want to get a decent seed at the state tournament, we are going to have to start winning some games. It’s definitely a big one for us.”
Haylee Zimmerman and Chandler Little have been a spark on offense for Rogers. Zimmerman is batting .440 while Little is at .407. Freshman Maddy Prough has also pitched well for the Lady Mounties.
“Chandler and Haylee are doing a great job,” Harper said. “Haylee has worked really hard. In the circle, Maddy has pitched better than her record would indicate. She moves the ball well, and she has good speed. I think she will be a college pitcher in the future.”
ROGERS HERITAGE
Lady War Eagles Searching For Consistency
The Rogers Heritage softball team is still searching for some consistency, but came back from spring break to notch a 6-3 win over Fayetteville on Tuesday afternoon at Veterans Park.
The Lady War Eagles (5-4, 2-1 7A/6A-West Conference) snapped a three-game losing skid with the win as junior Dasha Donahoe picked up the win in the circle and drove in two runs. She allowed three runs on just five hits.
Heritage coach Tiffany Taylor said her team has just been up and down already this season. She’s hoping with two conference games this week and also a tournament in Van Buren over the weekend the Lady War Eagles can hit their stride.
“I’ve got a young team,” Taylor said. “We’re still trying to figure it all out. Sometimes we play really well and then we’ll be in a slump either offensively or defensively.”
Freshman Brittney Dean leads in the team in hitting with a .524 average prior to Tuesday’s game.
“She’s moved into the three hole and she’s been lighting it up,” Taylor said. “We’ve had other kids hit a game or two, then not hit a game or two.”
Donahoe is next at .409, followed by Kenzi Ziem at .400. Donahoe and Dean share the team lead with seven RBIs.
Heritage is scheduled to host Springdale High today at 5 p.m.
—Paul Boyd•@NWAPAULB
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
Stockalper Hopes To Return
Springdale Har-Ber hopes to have pitcher Emily Stockalper back for today’s league game at Siloam Springs.
Stockalper was sick and missed Tuesday’s game when the Lady Wildcats lost 5-3 to Van Buren in a 7A/6A-West Conference game at Hunt’s Park. Her absence forced Har-Ber to adjust its lineup, including moving catcher Tiffani Ray to first base.
Gracie Bogle also had to go the distance in the circle after mostly sharing duties with Stockalper in the circle.
“When Emily is not in the lineup, it changes things,” Har-Ber coach Lynn Lawson said. “It changes things defensively, it changes things offensively. This game was important with Van Buren in first place, but her health is more important.”
Ashton Sangster hit a home run in the seventh inning for Van Buren (11-1, 2-1), which scored four of its five runs in the final two innings. Morgan Neal went 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored to lead the Lady Wildcats.
Har-Ber (6-3, 1-2) will try to even its conference record today against Siloam Springs, which lost 6-3 to Springdale High on Tuesday.
— RICK FIRES • @NWARICK
SPRINGDALE HIGH
Lady Bulldogs Have Momentum
Tuesday was a bit of a groundbreaking night for Springdale High.
The Lady Bulldogs beat Siloam Springs 8-3 to improve to 6-6 this year, already doubling their win total from last season (3-21). And the win was Springdale’s first conference victory in three years, another sign of progress early in league play.
“Pretty excited about it,” Springdale coach Ashlee Kemp said. “I’ve got some girls that have played good ball that understand what it takes. And they’re kind of pulling up younger girls saying, ‘This is what’s expected.’ And once they do it, why not do it again. It’s just believing in them. And I think their confidence is building every day. We’re beating teams we didn’t beat last year.”
Senior right-hander Chelsea Baldwin has been key on the mound, posting a solid 3.86 ERA. And she’s also hitting .385 this year, one of four Lady Bulldogs (Kelcee Thompson, Sydney McConnell and Maegan Kelley) hitting .375 or better this season after just three players managed to hit better than .205 last year.
The team batting average has jumped drastically from .238 a year ago to .275 this year.
“We’ve gotten a lot of help from all of our lineup,” Kemp said. “We depend on the top a lot, but it’s nice to have six other girls ready. … I knew we’d be improved. We didn’t lose anybody. We’ve definitely gotten better.”
Springdale will try to keep the momentum going at Rogers Heritage tonight.
— JIMMY CARTER • @NWAJimmy