GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers narrowly lost two games last week, on Thursday at Prairie Grove, 10-8, and on Monday, March 5, at home against West Fork, 12-11.
Against West Fork on March 5, the Gentry girls took the lead in the first inning when Harley Stanfield hit a line drive into left field and brought in Avani Edwards, who singled earlier in the inning, and Lynzey Sikes, who made it on when she hit into a fielder's choice.
West Fork blew open the game in the top of the third, scoring seven runs on three hits, a walk and a number of Gentry errors.
The Lady Pioneers battled their way back when Carissa Goosens scored in the bottom of the third and Mandy Barber, Meledy Owens and Edwards scored in the fourth.
West Fork answered with another two runs in the top of the fifth; and Randi Jo Bolinger, who doubled to center, made it home on the throw when Owens singled to the shortstop in the bottom of the inning.
Up 9-7 after five, West Fork secured its win with three runs in the top of the sixth on three singles and a double. The Lady Pioneers rallied in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs on three singles, a batter hit by a pitch, a walk and West Fork errors but it wasn't enough. The Gentry girls fell, 12-11.
Both teams had 14 hits in the game, but Gentry had seven errors and West Fork only three.
Allee Sweeten and Makayla Case divided pitching duties for Gentry. Case struck out three.
Randi Jo Bolinger and Meledy Owens had doubles in the game. RBIs were earned by Carissa Goosens (2), Meledy Owens, Lynzey Sikes (2) and Harley Stanfield (3).
Mandy Barber, Avani Edwards and Taylor Norman were hit by a pitch. Cali Stevens was credited with a stolen base.
Prairie Grove 10
Gentry 8
At Prairie Grove on Thursday, the Lady Pioneers had the game until the bottom of the seventh when the Lady Tigers' Kelsey Pickett hit a two-out home run and scored three more runs on top of the two who scored earlier in the inning on two singles and a Gentry error, making the final 10-8, Prairie Grove.
Carissa Goosens homered for Gentry in the first inning and brought in Avani Edwards, who singled to short.
Mandy Barber hit a triple in the fourth inning and scored Alexis Droddy, who had just got on by grounding into a fielder's choice. In the fifth, Randi Jo Bolinger doubled on a line drive to center and was brought home by a Lynzey Sikes double to center.
Barber singled to left in the sixth and scored on a Jasmine Fuamatu double to left. Fuamatu and Bolinger (hit by a pitch) later scored on an Owens single to left, to make it 8-5 Gentry, going into the final inning of play.
Gentry had 10 hits in the game and Prairie Grove 12.
Raegan Jude pitched five innings for Gentry, and Makayla Case, 1.2 innings.
Gentry
2B: Randi Jo Bolinger, Jasmine Fuamatu, Lynzey Sikes
3B: Mandy Barber
HR: Carissa Goosens
TB: Mandy Barber 4, Randi Jo Bolinger 2, Avani Edwards, Jasmine Fuamatu 2, Carissa Goosens 4, Meledy Owens, Lynzey Sikes 2, Harley Stanfield 2
RBI: Mandy Barber, Jasmine Fuamatu, Carissa Goosens 2, Meledy Owens 2, Lynzey Sikes
ROE: Harley Stanfield
FC: Alexis Droddy 2
HBP: Randi Jo Bolinger, Carissa Goosens
Sports on 03/14/2018