Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Tigers Run-Rule Berryville
PRAIRIE GROVE — Leadoff batter Elizabeth Stoufer hit the ball to the fence, bouncing it over for a home run, and Prairie Grove never looked back in beating Berryville, 12-0.
“That’s a good way to start, takes a little bit of pressure off you and puts it on them. In the playoffs if you get a bad start it’s usually the end of your season so I was glad we got a good start,” said Prairie Grove coach Dave Torres.
The leadoff homer lifted the team spirits. Stoufer felt the power as she swung the bat and connected on the second pitch of the at-bat.
“I kind of knew right when it came off the bat that it was going to be over,” Stoufer said.
She looked at her teammates and saw the hope rise in their eyes.
The Lady Tigers added three more runs in the first inning, highlighted by Chloe Hillian’s two RBI double, and were on their way to advance out of first round as they got on a roll during district softball play on Monday, April 25.
Torres said the Lady Tigers’ capacity to tweak their hitting approach early helped turn the tide in their favor.
“They made some adjustments that we took a little while the last time to make and it was nice to kind of get them out of the game early and just move on. Like they say, survive and advance, that’s the mode we’re in right now,” Torres said.
As Prairie Grove’s starting pitcher, Hillian commanded the game from the chalked circle, throwing a no-hitter. She helped her cause in a big way by smashing a 2-run double.
“It was nice to help myself out pitching, give me a little less pressure in the circle. I was focused so I could help my team move on to the next level,” Hillian said.
Rhiannon Umfleet stroked a double, driving the Lady Tiger lead to 5-0 in the third inning.
Charity Stearman singled and Hillian laid down a bunt single, loading the bases in the fourth inning. Briana Lowery hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring a run, and Lily Davis doubled to bring in a run. Autumn Spatz tripled, plating two more runs to shoot the lead up to 9-0 after four innings.
Meanwhile Hillian was throwing a shutout and the Lady Tigers made routine plays.
“Defense was good. We made an error the first play of the game, but that was really about it. Chloe threw a no-hitter. She didn’t give up any hits. We played good defense, got good pitching and when we get those two things we’re pretty tough to beat,” Torres said.
Stearman doubled, driving in the tenth run in the fifth. Another run scored on a passed ball and Hillian’s groundout recorded an RBI to make the final 12-0.
The win advanced Prairie Grove into the district quarterfinals at Harrison on Wednesday. The Lady Tigers hoped to build on the momentum gained from the solid win over Berryville.
“I think we worked really well together tonight as a team and if we play like that again against Harrison we shouldn’t have any problem,” Stoufer said.
Harrison proved a tough foe playing on its home field and ended the Lady Tigers’ season one win short of qualifying for regionals with an 8-0 win.