LINCOLN - Trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lincoln salvaged a conference win against Gentry with a breakout offensive surge.

The inning was either a full-fledged successful rescue operation or a disaster of Titanic proportions, depending upon which team fans followed.

Lincoln sent 14 batters to the plate scoring nine runs on four hits. Gentry issued three walks, hit one batter with a pitch, committed two errors and had an illegal pitch. The Lady Pioneers also let a popup fall harmlessly in the outfield.

“That’s kind of been our problem all year. We tend to have one bad inning and it’s been costing us,” said Gentry Coach Nick Bartmier.

The rally began with a walk, then Madison Reed hit a single that bounced off the third base bag. Gentry then watched a blooper past the infield by Shelby Rowe drop and, with the bases loaded, Hayle Sugg was hit by a pitch walking in Lincoln’s first run.

Ashton Calico came up and, with a 2-1 count, Reed scored on a wild pitch.

Calico eventually drew a walk. Then Gentry was called for an illegal pitch bringing in another run.

“She put it on the ground and rubbed it. The ball cannot have any foreign substance on it,” was the ruling.

Bartmier protested to no avail and things got worse for the Lady Pioneers with their lead now shrunk to 5-3 and nobody out.

Madison Rothrock drove in another run with a single, then Kayleen Rush struck out. Calico ran hard and dove head first to score on a wild pitch tying the game at 5-5. Gentry then gave up another single on a fielder’s choice with a throw to the plate, which was ruled late and the go-ahead run scored.

A throwing error allowed one more run and Lincoln led 7-5. After a walk, Gentry finally got the second out but allowed Shelby Rowe to get on board when a throw to Heather Marshall fell out of her glove. A run scored on the play and Lincoln was up 8-5. Lincoln base runners advanced on a passed ball and a walk again loaded the bases with a wild pitch producing the final run.

Calico popped up to short stop to end the inning, which represented a total turnaround. Gentry’s 5-0 lead was obliterated and Lincoln led 9-5.

“You’ve got to shake that off in a hurry,” Bartmier told the Lady Pioneers after the inning, noting, “It’s our last at-bat.”

Gentry could produce no runs and left a runner stranded at third in the seventh and lost 9-5.

“What I was more proud of than anything was we never quit. A lot of times when somebody gets up on you 5-0 you’re done,” said Lincoln coach Karen Coleman. “I had a feeling if we ever started scoring we were going to break, but I wasn’t sure we were going to start scoring.”

“I’m tired of giving people things, we need to take. We have a lot of young girls out there. If we get some games under our belt, we may peak at the right time.”

The Lady Pioneers also fell in a close contest against Pea Ridge on April 1, losing by a single run, 6-5.

Gravette 10 Lincoln 0

In play on Monday, the Lady Lions shut out the Lady Wolves, 10-0.

Sports, Pages 7 on 04/10/2013