Lady Hawks top L-E, 5-3

Collective hitting in one inning was the difference.

Bre Jones belted a grand slam in the fifth, and Pleasant Grove defeated Liberty-Eylau, 5-3, in a District 14-4A, crosstown rivalry softball game at Lady Hawk Field on Thursday.

“I am pleased with how we played,” Pleasant Grove head coach Becca Collom said. “Bre (Jones) got in there, stayed calm at her at-bat even though she had two strikes, waited to get something that she could handle, and handled it pretty well. We strung all of those hits together in the fifth. We were trying to redeem ourselves, so I am super pumped. The girls are doing great.”

Jones was 1 for 3 at the dish with 4 RBI, while teammate Maddie Horn earned the win, gave up three runs on five hits, and hit four batters.

“We didn’t make adjustments to their pitcher,” Lady Leopard head coach Kendra Cullum said. “We knew what she was going to throw, and we failed because we were a little bit stubborn. She is a good pitcher, and she beat us. We will have to make the adjustments for next time so that we can beat her.”

Madison Allen smacked a double to left field with an out in the fifth for the Hawks. Kaylee Kelley, Kristin Key, who drove in Allen for the Hawks’ first run, and Horn strung together three singles to load the bases in the fifth. Jones crushed a pitch over the left center fence for a grand slam to make it 5-1.

Savannah Phelps led off with a single to left center for the Leopards in the first. Phelps stole second, and then stole third base when the PG catcher bobbled the ball. Phelps scored when Keeley Norris grounded out to second base. The game stayed 1-0 until the fifth frame.

With an out in the sixth, Norris hit a single through the hole at short, and McKenzye Williamson followed with a single in between shortstop and third to put two on. Tori Foster singled to load the bases.

Mariah Coleman laced in a 2-run

double to left center for the Leopards to make it 5-3. But the threat ended when Foster was tagged out going from third to home, and the next batter flied out to center.

Pleasant Grove went down in order in sixth, as did Liberty-Eylau in the top of the seventh.

The Hawks (6-12-1, 2-3) play at North Lamar at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, while the Leopards (16-5-1, 3-2) travel to Paris at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Staff photo by Josh Richert ■ Pleasant Grove shortstop Bri Jones, center, gets a force out at second base, as Liberty-Eylau’s Kayla Norris slides hard to break up a potential double play, with PG first baseman Madison Allen, left, awaiting a throw during a District 14-4A softball...