Softball: Bentonville cruises past Rogers High

ROGERS --Bentonville used a big inning on Thursday afternoon to secure a share of the 7A-West Conference softball title and a first-round bye in the upcoming state tournament.

The Lady Tigers broke open a tight game with a six-run sixth inning en route to a 9-4 win over Rogers High at Veterans Park.

Bentonville 9, Rogers High 4

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Prough and Cornell; Massanelli, McManus (6), Massanelli (7) and Edwards. W-Prough, 15-0. L-Massanelli, 6-4. HRs-Bentonville, P. Wildeman (2); Rogers, McManus (7).

Bentonville (25-1, 12-0 7A-West) combined speed with a little power to turn a 3-2 lead into a 9-2 advantage. Jordan Gartman and Megan Crownover drove in two runs each in the sixth.

Lady Tigers coach Kent Early said his players made adjustments at the plate later in the game and they paid off in a big way.

"The kids had a plan going to plate and they made adjustments and they were able to capitalize on them and the ball found the gap," Early said."Like I always tell the kids, momentum is what you create and they created their own momentum and they played hard. I'm proud of them.

"Today's win was huge. It sealed at least a share of the conference title. Today was a big step toward our goal of winning a conference title."

The Lady Tigers sent 10 batters to plate in the sixth, combining six hits, a walk and a sacrifice bunt to score six times. Gartman greeted Rogers reliever Alex McManus with a two-run single to left field pushing the lead to 5-2. Crownover added a huge two-out, two-run double over the center fielder's head.

Bentonville tacked on another run by using its speed with back-to-back infield singles.

Jenna Wildeman led the Lady Tigers' 11-hit attack, going 3 for 4, all infield singles, drove in a run and scored once. Payton Wildeman and Tymber Riley each went 2 for 4. Crownover, the lead-off hitter, had just one hit, but drove in three runs and scored twice.

That was plenty for pitcher Maddy Prough (15-0). She allowed four runs on five hits, while striking out nine and walking two.

Rogers coach Mike Harper said his team made a couple of early mistakes, but Bentonville was the Lady Mounties' biggest problem. The Lady Mounties fell to 16-8 overall and 7-5 in the 7A-West.

"They squared it up pretty good up and down their lineup," Harper said. "They are a very good team. They're very athletic. They make plays in the field. They are undefeated in conference for a reason."

McManus, a freshman, accounted for two of the Lady Mounties' five hits, including a two-run home runs -- her seventh of the season. Faith Edwards added a two-run single in the sixth.

Rogers Heritage 8, Fayetteville 0

Sarah Pollock tossed a two-hitter and went 2 for 3 to lead the Lady War Eagles to the 7A-West Conference win Thursday at Veterans Park.

Heritage (17-7, 10-2 7A-West) needs just one more win in its last two games to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming state tournament. The Lady War Eagles finished the season against league-leading Bentonville and Springdale Har-Ber.

Mika Polumbo contributed a two-run home run and drove in three runs to lead Heritage, which broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning. Lindsay Glynn also contributed two RBIs.

Sports on 04/29/2016

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