Prep Softball Report

BENTONVILLE WEST

Roberson makes successful return

There was plenty to celebrate for Bentonville West after its 10-2 victory over Rogers Heritage on Tuesday, but the biggest cheers were for a player who had a lone single in the game.

That was Emily Roberson, a junior infielder who marked her 17th birthday by slapping a single up the middle in her first plate appearance of the season.

"She's a great kid and that was certainly a big day for her," Bentonville West coach Anthony Cantrell said. "She's been sick, but she's been in the dugout for games and practice all year for us. Once she was (medically) cleared to play, we put her in."

Roberson suffers from histoplasmosis, which inflames the victim's lungs and makes it hard to breathe. She was treated for about a week during Christmas break at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock before being allowed to return home.

"They had to run a bunch of tests and see if my inflamed lymph nodes were cancerous or not, and thank goodness they weren't," Roberson said. "But they mimicked a bunch of different types of cancer. Most people could just live with histoplasmosis, like they live with the flu. However, mine got really bad and was severe. Now, I'm on a 13-week treatment plan to help with it."

FARMINGTON

Double trouble

Teams hoping to catch a break with Paige Devecsery out of the circle for Farmington have been disappointed.

A second pitcher, sophomore McKenzi Bogan, improved to 7-1 on the season for the Lady Cardinals after throwing a two-hit shutout in a 10-0 victory over Harrison.

"(Bogan) was injured early last season and didn't get as many innings as we had hoped for," Farmington coach Randy Osnes said. "She loves the weight room and has become much stronger throughout this year. Her velocity and her ability to spin the ball has improved."

Devecsery (4-2) was back in the circle on Wednesday and threw a shutout in a 10-0 victory over Alma. She allowed three hits and struck out five.

The combination of Devecsery and Bogan in the circle makes Farmington (11-3) tough to beat, especially at tournament time.

"It is an advantage to have more than one varsity pitcher and to have two completely different styles," Osnes said. "They continue to push each other to get better throughout the year."

CEDARVILLE

Lady Pirates much improved

Cedarville isn't complaining much after the Siloam Springs tournament it was scheduled to participate in was canceled because of the threat of severe weather.

"Our prom is Saturday, so maybe that's a good thing," Cedarville coach Zach Zajicek said. "Plus, we have four games next week, starting with Monday's home game against Mansfield."

Cedarville is 6-2 on the season after finishing 8-9 last year during Zajicek's first year as head coach. The Lady Pirates are an experienced team led by three seniors, Lesa Moore, Lucy Shelly, and Gracie Goines.

Moore, a catcher, and Shelly, a pitcher, will continue their softball careers next season at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Okla.

"We've been really good on defense this year, that's our strength," Zajicek said. "Hopefully, we can keep it up."