Coleman’s grand slam, five RBI propel Arkansas High

GENOA, Ark. — What a difference a year makes. The offense for the Lady Backs was simply relentless this time around.

A season ago, the game between these same two teams ended in a nail-biting finish, 5-4, in favor of Arkansas High. Thursday night at Lady Dragons Field, however, the Lady Backs left no doubt in the minds of local fans as they coasted to a 20-5 statement win over the host Lady Dragons and moved to 3-0 to begin their 2024 campaign.

Arkansas High has now outscored opponents 39-9 in just 17 innings of play, with two of their three contests shortened by way of the mercy rule in five innings.

Each side matched the other with four runs a piece in the first inning before the Lady Backs then sent 13 batters to the plate in the second, scoring 10 runs on just six hits that included Jaela Coleman’s towering shot of a grand slam to left field and Aniya Arnold’s two-run blast two straight away center to highlight the very quick 144 lead. Arkansas High would go on to add two runs in each of the next three frames and pound out 15 hits for the eventual lopsided victory.

Arnold laced a triple down the left field line to start the evening for the Lady Backs against Genoa starter Emily Mcguire, who lasted just an inning-plus, in the top of the first before Coleman would bring her in to score just two batters later on the first of three RBI base hits by the visitors, as Macie Lee and Jewel Smart smacked run scoring singles up the middle in between walks handed out to Palin Nichols and Savannah Wilder.

Not to be outdone in the early going, Genoa (0-1) bounced back against Arkansas High freshman hurler Nichols, who is now 2-0 in her first two starts, with consecutive infield base hits and a hit batsman in the bottom half of the frame from Callie Fike, Savannah Williams, and Lindsay Gammon that lead to a run scored on a wild pitch before Ali Pierce and Anna Mccrary plated two more with defensive errors from the Lady Backs and Kelsie Fowler’s single got Mccrary home for the tying run.

Nichols would escape any potential further damage with a strikeout to end the only real threat of the night by the host squad. Nichols eventually settled into the circle and quieted the bats of the Lady Dragons, sailing through her next two innings of work while allowing just one run on one hit with four strikeouts and two walks before turning the ball over to the southpaw Smart for the final six outs and the save.

Arkansas High’s lineup proved to be too much just a half inning later against Genoa’s second arm, Callie Fike, as they batted around on six base knocks, two more free passes, and two hit batsmen for the double-digit advantage after Nichols’ bases loaded RBI single gave the Lady Backs the lead for good before the two long balls from Coleman and Arnold put a stamp on the extensive second inning. Coleman finished 3-4 at the dish while Arnold was 3-5.

Smart picked up her second and third RBIS in the third with a single to center while Nichols would go on to collect her second RBI in the fourth with her second single, this time off of reliever Rylee Fike, and Coleman was hit by a pitch with the bases full in the fifth to score Hailey Sherk for her game-leading fifth RBI. Sherk and Taylor Pascarella each slapped a single in their four plate appearances while teammate Savannah Wilder added two singles of her own.

The Lady Backs travel to powerhouse Benton on Tuesday to begin 5A-south conference action, while Genoa visits Murfreesboro on Monday.