CONWAY -- Autumn Humes' stellar high school softball career came to a fitting end Tuesday night.
Humes, of Bald Knob, had four hits and four RBI to lead the East to a sweep of the doubleheader in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star softball game at UCA's Farris Field. She was named the East Outstanding Player.
The East won 6-2 in the opener, a game Humes -- who will continue her career at Harding University -- started on the mound. The team completed the sweep with a 12-6 victory.
"It was not my best game, but the competition level was the best I've been against,'' said Humes, who was the MVP for three consecutive Bald Knob state championships. "This was my first game since the state tournament, so I was a little rusty.
"I was glad just to get to wear blue and white [also Bald Knob's colors] one more time."
In her start, she worked two scoreless innings to get the victory.
Cabot's Heather Hill, who had a two-run home run in the first game and an RBI single in the second game, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
It was the second consecutive year for a sweep by the East, which has won 10 of the past 14 games.
Greenwood's Victoria Taylor, who had two shutout innings in the first game, picked up the victory in game two with two more shutout innings. She had six strikeouts on the night.
Jacie Woods of Calico Rock and Benton Harmony Grove's LJ Helmich had a pair of RBI for the East in the second victory. Helmich's big hit was a home run to left center. Kyla Kelley of Brookland, Ashen Graves of Pocahontas and Rachel Thompson of Brookland also drove in runs.
For the West, Stephanie Bridgeman of Morrilton had a two-run home run.
In the opener, Humes, Helmich, Kelley and Taylor allowed just 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7. Humes and Taylor had three strikeouts apiece.
Humes also produced with the bat, driving in a run with a triple. Helmich had a pair of hits, including a triple, but the big blow was Hill's two-run home run, which was part of a three-run fourth that erased a 1-0 West lead.
The West had taken the lead with an unearned run on Vilonia's Sarah Brantley's RBI double in the third. An RBI double by Hailey Weathers from Johnson County Westside made it a 3-2 game going into the sixth.
It wasn't close for long. Ashton Sangster from Van Buren had an RBI single and Baylee Halford of Beebe ripped a two-run double to build the cushion to four.
Sports on 06/22/2016