VAN BUREN -- Two tough Springdale Har-Ber pitchers, and an eight-day layoff was enough to turn the Van Buren batters cold.
Emily Stockalper and Gracie Bogle limited the Pointers to just four hits as the Lady Wildcats scratched home a run in the sixth to capture a 3-2 win Friday night in 7A/6A-West Conference softball action.
How They Scored
Springdale Har-Ber 3, Van Buren 2
Har-Ber^000^201^0^—^3^6^4
Van Buren^002^000^0^—^2^4^0
Stockalper, Bogle (5) and Ray; Stafford and Miles. W - Bogle. L -Stafford. HRs - Van Buren, Stafford; Har-Ber, Neal.
Bogle pitched the final three innings and did not surrender a hit to get the win for Har-Ber (15-8, 6-4). The Lady Wildcats defense did give the Pointers (17-4, 6-1) a chance to win it in the seventh.
Austyn Deere reached on an errant grounder that the third baseman bobbled. Two outs later, Breanna Vest reached when her two-out shallow fly ball to right was dropped by the Har-Ber second baseman, moving pinch runner Jessica Smith to third. After Vest stole second, Bogle struck out Ashton Sangster to end the the game.
"I was proud of the way we played, but I told the girls that I would prefer them not to finish the game with that many errors," Lady Wildcats coach Lynn Lawson said. "You playing a team with one of the best records in the conference and you cannot make those mistakes."
Lawson also praised the work of Stockalper and Bogle did on the mound to silence the Van Buren hitters.
"I don't know how much of a blessing to have both of them on the staff and I don't think they get enough praise for the work they do," Lawson said. "They have different spin on the ball. They were team players today."
Pointer coach Andy Williams said the layoff due to state-mandated testing and rainouts didn't help.
"To hit like we have been, you have to play consistently," Williams said. "To have this type of layoff and then face two of the best pitchers in the conference, it was going to be tough for us on offense."
Van Buren did take the early lead on a two-run homer by Tori Stafford in the bottom of the third. Har-Ber, though, would answer in the top of the fourth on a two-run shot by Tulsa signee Morgan Neal.
Neal started the winning rally in the sixth with a bunt single and would steal second. A hit by Tiffany Ray moved Neal to third. Ray tried to steal second but was thrown out by Pointer catcher Baylor Miles. Sangster stumbled after making the tag, allowing Neal to score.
Neal and Ray each had two hits to pace Har-Ber.
Stafford got the hard-luck, complete-game loss for Van Buren, allowing just six hits while striking out seven and walking just one.
Sports on 04/26/2014