CENTERTON -- Kadence Stafford was looking for an outside pitch, one she could drive to the opposite field.
Down in the count with two strikes in a 4-1 game, Stafford got the pitch she was looking for, and the Bentonville junior did not miss it, slugging the pitch over the right-field fence for a three-run home run, sparking the Lady Tigers to an 11-1 win against Bentonville West on Tuesday in 6A-West Conference softball action.
"I was looking for something outside, maybe just a little high so that I could get on top of it," said Stafford. "I feel like I hit to the opposite field better because I can get my hands extended."
The homer was the first of the season for Stafford. Bentonville coach Kent Early said could sense she was due after hitting several balls hard in recent games.
"That was huge," said Early of Stafford's blast that blew the game open. "At that point in the game, huge. Stafford is in the eight-hole and that's not an eight-hole dude, somebody that can hit home runs. Honestly, that was huge for her. That's her first of the year and she had five last year. But she's been seeing the ball well, swinging it. That was stinking huge."
The Lady Tigers (11-1, 7-0) took control of the 6A-West with the win, but they had to come from behind to do it. West (11-5, 5-2) jumped on top early when Marybeth Dyson blasted a lead-off double in the bottom of the first and scored on a pop-up on a close play at the plate for a 1-0 lead.
Bentonville responded with two runs in the top of the second and never trailed again. The Lady Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the second, but only produced two runs for a 2-1 lead. Bentonville then blew the game open in the third by sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs with Stafford's homer delivering the big blow.
That was more than enough for starter Ryann Sanders, who scattered four hits and struck out eight including the side in the bottom of the fourth. Sanders ended the game with a strikeout after West had runners at second and third with no outs. Sanders was helped by a huge defensive play by Lady Tiger third baseman Kasey Wood, who caught a West runner too far off the bag at third on a bunt and fired a strike to nab the runner for the second out. Sanders then got a strikeout to end the game.
Sanders was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3. Amber Turner, Hallie Robinson and Stafford all had two hits, and Savanna Schenkel was 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIS.
For West, Mary Frannie Van Es added a double in the fifth inning.