Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Cards Advance To 4A-1 Finals
GIRLS WIN 2012 CONFERENCE TROPHY
FARMINGTON — The Lady Cardinals (22-7) put themselves in line to win their 15th consecutive district championship after dismantling Gentry, 14-1, in a mercy-rule shortened, 4A-1 semifinal contest Saturday.
After being presented with the trophy for winning the 2012 conference regular season championship, the Cardinals proceeded to put on an offensive showcase, which left little doubt that Farmington is one of the top teams and programs in the state.
Payton Wiedner, Brooke Larkin and Lauren Blackburn each had multiple hits to pace the Cardinal offense. Wiedner was 2-for-4 at the plate, with a double, four RBIS and three runs scored, Blackburn was 2for-3 on the day, with a double two RBI’S and two runs scored. Larkin was 3-for-4 at the dish and had three RBIS, two of those scoring when Larkin ripped a triple to the left-center gap in the third inning.
Jessica Foster, Lindsey Blackburn and Oakley Sisemore all added a hit to the Cardinal total.
“We had 10 hits in five innings, I think that is pretty good,” said Cardinal coach Randy Osnes, adding, “We hit a lot of line drives and had a lot of ground balls hit hard, which is what we work on.”
A couple of Gentry hits in the opening inning helped the Pioneers score their lone run. Madison Barnes (19-3), who picked up the victory, settled into a groove after allowing the one run, giving up only three more hits along the way. Barnes gave up one run on five hits, with 10 strikeouts and no base-on-balls.
Trailing 1- 0 after half an inning, the Cardinals quickly went to work on offense when it came time for them to pickup the sticks. Wiedner, the second batter in the line-up, plated Sara Beth Jones with a double, and was immediately followed by Larkin, who drove in Wiedner with a bloop single.
Barnes helped her own cause later in the frame with an RBI single ripped past the Pioneer third baseman. Lauren Blackburn wrapped up the scoring with a double to left field scoring Farmington’s fifth and sixth runs of the inning, putting the Cardinals ahead 6-1.
Farmington sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning and scored another six runs, swelling the lead to 12-1. Wiedner and Larkin each plated a pair of Cardinal runners, while Lauren Blackburn added an RBI with a “Texas leaguer” to centerfield. Four Gentry errors in the fourth inning helped the Cardinals add two more runs to their total, giving them a 14-1 cushion.
Gentry tried to get something brewing in the fifth inning with back-to-back hits to open the frame, however Barnes fanned the next three Pioneer batters, leaving the base runners stranded and earning the 14-1 victory for the host Cardinals.