LINCOLN -- Upsets by No. 3 Gravette over No. 2 Lincoln in the semifinal and No. 1 Pea Ridge led the Lady Lions to the championship of the 4A-1 District softball tournament.
Pea Ridge won the regular season crown and had a first-round bye but placed second at district, which was hosted by Lincoln last week.
Gravette 5, Pea Ridge 0
Gravette knocked off No. 1 Pea Ridge to win the District 4A-1 softball championship at Lincoln Saturday. Gravette took a 1-0 lead in its first at-bat, adding a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 5-0 lead while maintaining a shutout.
"We came in second to Pea Ridge last year. It's always been a battle with Pea Ridge," said Gravette coach Taos Jones. "Coach (Josh) Reynolds is one of the best. Stephanie Chase, who threw a heckuva game today is one of the best pitchers. I'm super proud of them. The kids really battled this year. They had lots of opportunities to make plays. I couldn't be more proud of them."
Pea Ridge turned a double play to avoid further damage with runners at second and third base to get out of the fifth. As the Lady Blackhawks came into the dugout, coach Josh Reynolds reminded his team of the urgency of the situation.
"We've got to go," Reynolds implored the Lady Blackhawks. "We're down to six outs. We've got to make something happen. Make it personal."
Gravette starter Bailey Elmore had other ideas, however. She allowed only 5 hits and 1 base-on-balls while pitching a complete game to earn the win with 4 strike-outs. A pop-up and a line drive got the first two batters out. Next up was freshman Aidan Dayberry, who made contact. She was robbed of a hit by an outstanding play from Gravette first baseman Sumer Kaba, who had to stretch to make the catch. Kaba fell flat on her face but kept a foot on the bag to record the out.
"Bailey located her pitches well," Jones said. "She kept them under control by locating and letting the defense work around her.
Jones also praised the Lady Lions on offense.
"Keeley Bulza (2-for-3, 1 RBI) did a fantastic job executing some of the plays she was asked to do," Jones said. "Gabbi Scott (2-for-4, 1 RBI) did a great job at the plate. She makes people nervous because they don't want her to get on base."
Pea Ridge starter Stephanie Chase, who took the loss, then retired Gravette in order to bring the Lady Blackhawks into their last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Chase got aboard with a one-out single and stole second, but Pea Ridge couldn't bring her around and a fly-out ended the game.
Both teams return to Lincoln for regional play Thursday. Pea Ridge will play the No. 3 seed from the 4A-4 at 12:30 p.m. while Gravette takes on No. 4 seed at 3 p.m.
Gravette 7, Lincoln 2
No. 3 Gravette upstaged No. 2 Lincoln in Friday's late district semifinal.
"It didn't work out for us," said Lincoln coach Beau Collins. "Tonight we were putting bats on the ball, but we just couldn't get any holes or in the outfield. Defensively, we didn't play a perfect game we had to have. Gravette's a good team. Against them, you can't have mistakes."
The Lady Lions didn't have any big innings, but they scored in every inning except the fifth and put two runs across in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead by the time they finished batting in the top of the sixth.
Lincoln tried to rally, starting with Tristan Cunningham's one-out stand-up double hit into deep right center. Malorie Pershall reached on an error when the throw was dropped at first. Jada Corbit made contact with runners at the corners. She also reached on an error that allowed Cunningham to score. Ayden Massey's sacrifice fly drove in Lincoln's other run. Gravette starter Bailey Elmore, who allowed only three hits, while striking out four over seven innings, ended the threat with a strikeout.
"We made some mistakes on base paths, but we hit the ball well," said Gravette coach Taos Jones. "They (Lincoln) have a great group of seniors. I knew it was going to be a battle. The sixth kind of scared me a little bit. They had the big part of their lineup coming up in the seventh. That was a little scary, a little heart-pounding. Our pitcher handled it well. She's done well for us all year. She had to step into a tough spot and fill some really big shoes and she's filled those shoes."
Gravette's Lexi Gerner recorded her only hit of the night to start the seventh. The next two batters were out before Keeley Bulza (3-of-4) drove in a run with a double off the center-field wall.
After giving up a two-out single in the bottom half of the inning, Elmore closed out the contest with a strikeout.
Sports on 05/02/2018