Bentonville West smashes Conway

CLASS 7A

BENTONVILLE WEST 10, CONWAY 4

FAYETTEVILLE — Three Bentonville West batters drilled shots to left and left-center field to drive in a combined five runs, and the Lady Wolverines made their first appearance in the Class 7A state softball tournament a good one Thursday with a 10-4 victory at Asbell Park.

“We took advantage of it,” Bentonville West Coach Anthony Cantrell said of the gap in left center. “We had some good at-bats.”

Hallie Wacaser’s home run, her 14th of the season, gave Bentonville West (21-13) a 3-2 lead in the third inning and also helped open up the field for the Lady Wolverines.

Before hitting her home run, Wacaser hit a long drive that went foul down the leftfield line, causing Conway to move Tremere Harris closer to the line.

Karlie Stafford was the first to hit one into the left-center field gap and drove in two runs for a 5-2 lead.

Brittany Crowson hit one in the same location in the fourth inning to drive in two more runs. Jazmine Dodd tripled to the right-field fence in the fifth, then Emily Roberson went back into left center for an RBI single and Bentonville West’s final run.

“Bentonville West is a good team,” Conway Coach Chata Hickey said. “They’re a young team, but you can’t tell from looking at them. They hit the ball well and have all season.

“I was really shocked to see them turn out as the fifth seed. I was almost assured they would be the third seed. They started figuring out where our pitchers were throwing, and that’s the strategy of the game — know where they are pitching.”

Dodd was 3 for 5 and scored 3 runs, while Stafford, Crowson and Sydney Steed each had two hits for Bentonville West, which returns to action with a noon quarterfinal game against defending state champion Bentonville. Holly Stewart had two hits for Conway (15-13), including a game-tying two-run home run in the first.

ROGERS HERITAGE 6, FORT SMITH NORTSIDE 1

Brittney Dean didn’t let a bloody nose stop her.

Dean hit a leadoff home run after she bloodied her nose while diving for a fly ball in the first inning. Lora Brown and Mika Polumbo also hit home runs, and Kelsey Hamlin added a run-scoring double for Rogers Heritage (14-13).

The Lady War Eagles advanced to face Bryant at noon today. Bryant, the No. 1 seed from the 7A-Central, earned a firstround bye.

Winning pitcher Sarah Pollock allowed 1 run on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk. Alujah Hall had three of the six hits for Northside (9-12), which scored in the first inning on doubles by Hall and Sydney Green.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK 14, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 1

Reagan Sperling had three hits, including a three-run home run, to lead North Little Rock in a game called in the fifth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Winning pitcher Katelynn McMahan added a two-run home run for North Little Rock (19-6-1), which advanced to play Rogers High at 2:30 p.m. today.

Har-Ber (7-17) committed three of its six errors in the fourth inning when North Little Rock scored seven runs.

North Little Rock scored three runs in the first inning after a leadoff triple by Sperling. North Little Rock was ahead 5-0 in the third inning when the Charging Lady Wildcats added two more runs on a bases-loaded walk and a hit batter.

VAN BUREN 11, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 1

McKennah Sikes threw a two-hitter over five innings and drove in five runs — including a grand slam — as Van Buren rolled past Southside to advance to the quarterfinals.

Van Buren (19-9) led 3-0 after one inning, thanks to Sikes’ RBI single and Baylor Miles’ two-run home run. Sikes made it 7-0 with her grand slam in the second.

Sikes didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, when Piper Morgan hit a home run for Southside (4-20).