Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Cards Start Softball Season
FARMINGTON — Farmington softball coach Randy Osnes is having a flashback to his youth, while Fayetteville starter Karlee Stonesifer suffered shell-shock.
Osnes has recently been recalling his hair was dark when he began coaching 27 years ago. Osnes and assistant coach Steve Morgan, who is a performing musician, may as well have played John Stewart’s 1979 record album, “Bombs Away Dream Babies,” in the clubhouse or in the batting cages with three consecutive Farmington batters bombing Stonesifer for home runs on the way to a 14-3 victory on Monday, March 8.
In what was a pretty good year for rock and roll, the “Bombs Away Dream Babies” album peaked at No. 10 on Billboard’s album chart and yielded three Top 40 singles: “Gold,” which peaked at No. 5, “Midnight Wind” and “Lost Her in the Sun,” as the bestselling album of Stewart’s career.
Of course, the girls on this year’s Lady Cardinal varsity weren’t born yet, but vinyl has made a comeback in recent years with many classic albums back on store shelves. Interestingly, the number of charting singles corresponds with three straight home runs that Farmington smacked out of Lady Dawg Park.
Stonesifer, who took the loss for Fayetteville, lasted one and two-thirds innings during a 7-run Lady Cardinal deluge that featured Remington Adams, Shayley Treat, and Grace Boatright taking turns going yard. That came on the heels of a Lady Bulldog error, which scored one run for the Lady Cardinals (2-1) and a double by Farmington’s Mya Monroe. She hit a 1-0 pitch into left field, scoring two runs and erasing an early 1-0 Fayetteville lead.
Both Adams and Treat fell behind in the count 0-2 and each homered. Next up came Boatright. Fayetteville was aware of her capabilities and their worst fears were realized when she blasted a third straight home run. The home run derby gave Farmington a 7-1 lead.
“That’s the first time that’s happened,” Osnes recalled as his first reaction to the latest exploit by Lady Cardinal softballers over his storied career, which wraps up with his pending retirement at the end of this season.
Assistant coach and Farmington alumni Morgan Clark-Songer recalled a similar instance, at first thinking it might have been consecutive; and upon checking the record books discovered the Lady Cardinals hit three home runs in one inning, but they weren’t consecutive during a March 15, 2008, Farmington Invitational Tournament win over Conway.
Lacey Kragel, No. 1 hitter in 2008; Shelby Culver, No. 4; and Kala Crisp, No. 6 in the lineup; each homered. Kragel’s was a two-run shot, while Culver drove in three runs, and Crisp’s long-ball was a solo home run.
“True to my memory I struck out between it all,” Clark- Songer said while beaming from ear- to- ear at the historic connection between the 2021 Lady Cardinals and cherished memories of her playing days.
Stonesifer allowed seven runs on four hits while striking out one, and even with her stint over, Farmington was far from finished working the plate. Carson Griggs added another home run in the fifth for an encore.
Carson Griggs (2-1) picked up the win for Farmington, allowing no runs and no hits over three innings while striking out seven with one walk. In an extraordinary situation, Kennedy Griggs both started the game for the Lady Cardinals, and closed in relief. She worked two total innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out three.
Farmington belted out 15 hits against Fayetteville pitching. Adams, Griggs, Boatright, Treat, and both Carson and Kennedy Griggs all achieved multiple hits for the Lady Cardinals. Griggs and Adams each led the attack with three hits apiece for Farmington. The Lady Cardinals didn’t commit a single error in the run-rule win.
In addition to four home runs, Farmington had 4 doubles.
Allie Bowerman was 2- for-3 with a double for Fayetteville, which was limited to four hits and struck out 10 times.