Lady Lions win, Lions overcome by Lincoln Wolves

Photo by Randy Moll Lincoln catcher, Lexington Dobbs, prepares to put the tag to Gravette's Emily Miller as she attempts to score for Gravette during play in Gravette on April 15.
Photo by Randy Moll Lincoln catcher, Lexington Dobbs, prepares to put the tag to Gravette's Emily Miller as she attempts to score for Gravette during play in Gravette on April 15.

GRAVETTE -- The Lady Lions battled for the upper hand in the April 15 game against the Lincoln Lady Wolves and prevailed when they took back the lead in the bottom of the sixth and shut out the Lady Wolves in the top of the seventh.

Gravette grabbed an early lead with a three-run bottom of the second when Jaye Chalk singled to right and scored on a wild pitch, Megan McAfee moved Bunch across the plate with a bunt and Ashleigh Horn drove in McAfee with a line-drive single to left field. But the Lady Wolves answered with four in the top of the third, to take a 4-3 lead.

McAfee tied things up in the bottom of the fourth when she singled to center field and made it home on a single to center field by Destiny Laymon.

In the next inning, the Gravette girls took the lead when Emily Miller doubled to center and brought Horn home. After Samantha Pruitt made it on through fielder's choice, Chalk brought her home with a line-drive double to center.

Lincoln tied the game back up in the sixth on a two-run single by Cynthia Ortiz which scored Lexington Dobbs and Olivia Fry. But not to be undone by the Lady Wolves, the Lady Lions responded with Laymon singling and making it home on another hit by Horn. Jessica Crawley, courtesy runner for Horn, stole second and third and then scored when Meagan Ward hit a grounder to the short stop and the throw got away from the first baseman.

Ashleigh Horn pitched for the Lady Lions. Lindsee LaBrecque was out due to dislocating her knee cap during practice on April 11. Horn allowed six runs on nine hits and struck out five Lincoln batters, two of those in the final Lincoln at-bat.

Horn also boosted the Lady Lions with her bat, picking up two hits and two RBIs and scoring once in four at-bats. Chalk, McAfee and Laymon each had two hits and an RBI in the game, as well.

Lincoln 6

Gravette 3

GRAVETTE -- The Lions grabbed a 2-1 lead in the first and tied things up at 3 apiece in the third, but the Lincoln Wolves held the Lions scoreless in the last four innings and added another three runs to take home a 6-3 victory.

The Lions took their only lead in the bottom of the first when Cody Fields doubled to right and Aaron Means followed up with a single to right to advance Fields to third and then home. Means then scored when Ethan Vanderpool hit a fly ball to left for a double.

The Wolves tied things up, 2-2, in the top of the second when Drew Harris hit a fly ball deep into left for a triple and drove in Cord McCaslin. And they took the lead in the top of the fourth when Ossy Escarero sacrificed to second and brought in Dalton Simmons.

Gravette answered in their half of the third when Means scored on a Boston Daniels line-drive single to center field, but that was pretty much it for the Gravette bats. Fields and Nelson picked up singles but were unable to make it home.

Lincoln scored two in the top of the fourth on RBI doubles by Dakota Riggin and Bama Hill and another in the top of the sixth on a Simmons RBI double to make the final 6-3, Wolves.

Cody Fields picked up three hits in four at-bats for Gravette. Daniels, Means and Vanderpool each had RBIs.

Vanderpool was on the mound for Gravette the full seven innings. He allowed 11 hits and six runs in the game (four of them earned). He struck out four.

Sports on 04/23/2014