VAN BUREN -- Four was the magic number for the Van Buren softball team Thursday night.
The Pointers scored four runs in the bottom of fourth inning thanks to four two-out hits to down Bentonville 4-3 to take over first place in the 7A/6A-West Conference.
How The Scored
Van Buren 4, Bentonville 3
Bentonville^010^010^1^—^3^6^4
Van Buren^000^400^0^—^4^6^2
Vaughan and Fears; Stafford and Miles. W - Stafford. L -Vaughan. HRs - none.
Van Buren (19-4, 8-1) now travels to Springdale today to try and stay ahead of Bentonville (18-4, 8-2). The Pointers still have to play the Lady Tigers again on May 12 that will probably decide the conference championship.
"I told the girls to enjoy tonight, but it's over when the go to bed," Van Buren coach Andy Williams said. "With Springdale next, we have to play well. If we lose, (Thursday's) win will mean nothing."
Bentonville had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning and runners were on the corners with no outs. Mackenzie Hardison started the inning with a double followed by a base hit by Emma Kinsey.
The Lady Tigers, though, attempted a double steal and Van Buren catcher Baylor Miles threw Kinsey out trying to steal second. Hardison scored to make it 4-3, but Morgan Vaughan was now batting with the bases empty.
"We knew they would throw down. We were trying to get in a rundown," Bentonville coach Kent Early said. "We kind of rolled the dice there hoping they might throw it away or at least stay out of the double play. If I had to do it again, I would because I wanted to get the tying run on second with Morgan at bat."
Vaughan flied out to right and Alicia Lowery struck out to end the game.
Bentonville led 1-0 on an RBI sacrifice fly by Jordan Gartman in the second inning. The Lady Tigers, though, had the bases loaded and no outs, but Van Buren starter Tori Stafford minimized the damage.
The Pointers' bats, essentially silent the last two games, finally came alive, for one inning at least, in the four-run fourth. Van Buren had scored just four runs in the last two games combined, did that in just one inning.
With two outs and a runner on first, Austyn Deere started the rally with a double to right-center. Abby Killough tied the game with a single to left. Ashlee Deffenbaugh then beat out a hit to plate one and a throwing error scored another for a 3-1 Van Buren lead. Defffenbaugh came around to score on Breanna Vest's double down the left field line.
Bentonville, which hosts Rogers Heritage today, got a run back in the fifth on a two-out RBI double by Lowery to get to within 4-2.
Sports on 05/02/2014