Sweep by East doesn’t surprise Gordon
SOFTBALL EAST 6-5, WEST 2-3
CONWAY — With her MVP trophy in hand, Katlyn Gordon said she had no doubt her East All-Star team would sweep the Arkansas High School Coaches Association’s All-Star softball doubleheader Tuesday night.
What did surprise the recently graduated Beebe Badger was being named the game’s MVP after the East defeated the West 6-2 and 5-3 in the games played on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
“Oh yeah, it was a shock because there are so many good players here,’’ she said. “We had a lot of talent on our team. We had too much talent to lose.’’
Playing at second and shortstop, Gordon had a pair of hits and scored a run in the nightcap.
Gordon led off the second game with a single, stole second and scored on a misplayed grounder off the bat of Keely Curtis of Harrisburg.
The West went up 2-1 in the third inning when Josie Vaught of De Queen hit into a fielder’s choice prior to a groundout by Kylie Cowan of Foreman.
The East made it 2-2 on a run-scoring triple by Kennedy Ratliff of Rison.
Curtis’ second RBI put the East up 3-2 in the fourth, and the East put it away with a pair of runs in the sixth, one scoring on Taylor Teague’s RBI fielder’s choice and another on an error.
In the first game, Kelsey Gammage of Spring Hill drove in a pair of runs to lead the East to a 6-2 victory.
Gammage’s RBI single in the fourth forged a 1-1 tie. In the sixth, she broke the tie with a fielder’s choice that was booted and scored two runs. The East scored three in the inning to take a 4-1 lead.
Maggie Garrett of Greenbrier hit an RBI single to make it 4-2 in the home sixth, but the East added two runs in the seventh to put the game away.
It was the second consecutive year the East swept the doubleheader.
Magan Johnson of Batesville Southside was named the East’s outstanding player, and Maeson Grace of Sheridan was named the West’s outstanding player.