Lady ’Hawks use big inning to put away Lady Panthers
SILOAM SPRINGS — Siloam Springs’ softball team wants to avoid giving its opponents big innings, but the Lady Panthers were unable to do so Monday, March 15, against Pea Ridge.
Pea Ridge scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning to blow open a close ballgame before winning 11-0 at La-Z-Boy Softball Complex.
“We’re looking to see fight from our girls and intensity and making plays behind our pitcher,” said Siloam Springs coach Emily Grace Ruggeri. “We’re doing that for the most part. Our thing is we’re just trying to fix not having one bad inning, giving up four or five runs in one inning and making plays with two outs. That’s what we’re looking for from them.”
Pea Ridge scored two runs in the top of the first, but the score remained 2-0 going into the fourth.
The Lady Blackhawks (2-2) collected five of their nine total hits in the fourth and sent 11 batters to the plate. Junior Nalea Holliday opened with a single and freshman Rebekah Konkler walked, followed by back-to-back RBI single from junior Dallice White and senior Emily Beck. Senior Ravin Cawthon drove in a run with a groundout and senior Blakelee Winn had an RBI single. Senior Alevia Reyna followed with a hit and freshman Callie Cooper reached on an RBI fielder’s choice on a bunt.
Pea Ridge coach Josh Reynolds said Monday’s game was the first with his entire roster as several players have joined the team following the conclusion of basketball season.
“We came out a little slow,” Reynolds said. “A lot of new kids in new positions, basketball kids, moving kids around in the lineup. Still trying to get a feel for it. We’re only four games into the season. We’re still very young as a group and still very young in the season.”
Pea Ridge added a run in the sixth with Holliday’s RBI single scoring Reyna. The Lady Blackhawks scored twice in the seventh.
Meanwhile, pitcher Aidan Dayberry, a senior, limited Siloam Springs (1-11) to just one hit — a single by Jaden Farmer — in the shutout win. Dayberry finished with eight strikeouts.
Morgan Williamson took the loss for Siloam Springs.
“We’ve been in it a lot of innings,” Ruggeri said. “We just have one bad inning usually and don’t make the plays we need to make behind our pitcher, but we’re working on it. We’re getting better and improving.”