Wednesday, April 16, 2014
SPRINGDALE — Gracie Bogle earned some family bragging rights at J.B. Hunt Park on Tuesday night.
The Springdale Har-Ber senior hit two home runs and had three RBIs to lead the Lady Wildcats to a 10-0 run-rule win in five innings over step-sister and travel-ball teammate Kelcee Thompson and Springdale High.
How They Scored
Springdale Har-Ber 10, Springdale High 0
Springdale^000^00^—^0^6^2
Har-Ber^311^23^—^10^10^1
Baldwin and Bradley. Stockalper and Ray. W – Stockalper, 8-4. L – Baldwin, 7-9. HRs – Har-Ber, Bogle 2 (5), Stockalper (2).
"It was motivation," Bogle said of facing her step-sister's team. "It's just drive to push harder."
Bogle's two homers, her fourth and fifth of the season, helped Har-Ber (13-7, 4-3 7A/6A-West) distance itself in the blowout. The first home run was a two-run shot to left field during a three-run first inning, while the second was an impressive, long drive to left-center to extend the lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third.
"I knew what to look for the second time," Bogle said. "And then I just sat back and crushed it."
And Bogle wasn't the only Har-Ber player who went deep.
Pitcher Emily Stockalper helped her own cause and ended the game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning. Shortstop Morgan Neal had two RBI doubles as Har-Ber had five extra-base hits among its 10 total.
"When we hit the ball deep, we usually thrive," Har-Ber coach Lynn Lawson said. "When we're not hitting it deep, we're usually in a neck-and-neck ballgame. ... The defense played well and there were no defensive errors. You always have a chance to win if you do that, especially when you've got kids swinging the bat as good as they are."
Springdale (7-9, 1-5) had its chances to keep pace early, but stranded eight runners in the first four innings, including six runners in scoring position. Sophomore Chasidee Owens had a double and finished 2-for-3, but the Lady Bulldogs struggled to capitalize on opportunities.
"It was a shutout, but we put the ball in play," Springdale coach Ashlee Kemp said. "We hit it hard. We just weren't able to produce runs. And that's something we've struggled with for a while. "
Har-Ber didn't have that issue, scoring a run in every inning, including three in the first, two in the fourth and three in the fifth, to earn the run-rule win.
The Lady Wildcats will play at Bentonville to begin the second half of conference play Thursday. Springdale will play at Rogers Heritage today at 5 p.m. in a make-up game, the second of four games in as many days as it plays at Rogers High on Thursday and hosts West Fork on Friday.
Sports on 04/16/2014