Last week was bittersweet for the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs and Head Coach Ronnie Sockey.
On Monday (May 13th) they earned the right to play for the Class 5A state softball championship, but on Friday (May 17th) they suffered a tough-luck 4-3 loss to the Lady Yellowjackets of Sheridan in the title game at Bogle Park, home of the Arkansan Lady Razorbacks.
Later that same day the only two seniors on the team – Mariah Hamilton and Karli Fisher – received their diplomas during graduation ceremonies at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
Hamilton was a four-year starter at third base and the team’s leading hitter, and she will be sorely missed next season as she moves on to play for Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
But as a whole, the Lady Bulldogs are well-stocked with talent and experience for another title run next spring. They have frequently populated the upper echelon of 6A and now 5A softball since the arrival of Coach Sockey from Oklahoma for the 2013 season.
Greenwood and Sheridan are two of the premier prep programs in Arkansas. Greenwood won its only fastpitch state title in 2015, defeating the Lady ‘Jackets in the process. Two years later, in 2017, Sheridan returned the favor, scoring a walk-off winner in the bottom of the seventh inning.
This year’s contest also came down to the last frame, though it wasn’t as dramatic. See the accompanying article for championship game details.
State Playoffs
The Lady Bulldogs reached the finals with a remarkable tournament run, outscoring their three opponents 34-0, pitching shutouts against Jacksonville, El Dorado, and Benton.
The first two games both ended early with identical 15-0 scores. Haven Clements and Rheding Wagoner both pitched well, with Clements getting the win in game one with Wagoner relieving.
Against Jacksonville the Lady Bulldogs scored crooked numbers in all four innings, crossing the plate twice in the first, four times in the second, six times in the third, and three more times in the bottom of the fourth before the game was called. Clements went three frames for the victory, allowing just one hit.
At the plate, junior Angela Price led the way with two hits, three RBIs, and a pair of runs scored. Harley Terry, also a junior, had two hits as well with an RBI and run scored.
Due to Jacksonville fielding errors, several of Greenwood’s runs were unearned in the blowout, which allowed them to move on to the quarterfinals against El Dorado.
Wagoner went the distance against the Lady Wildcats, allowing just three hits and no runs. The junior also had a hit and led the team with four RBIs for the game.
Greenwood led 1-0 after one frame but blew the game open with 11 runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth to end the contest.
Hamilton and Price both had two hits for Greenwood. Price added a pair of runs batted in while Hamilton accounted for one.
Haven Clements added three RBIs on one hit and Terry had two RBIs. Paxtyn Hayes also had a hit and two RBIs.
State Semi-Finals
The first two games were played as planned on May 9th and 10th, but the semi-finals slated for the 11th were rained out and rescheduled for last Monday the 13th. The opponent was Benton, the host team for the state tournament.
The Lady Panthers cooled off the GHS bats and the game remained scoreless after two frames. But the Lady Bulldogs broke through with three runs in the top of the third, and that’s all they would need.
Starter Haven Clements finished off the shutout, allowing just three hits while walking one Benton hitter and striking out three.
“Haven was great all game,” said Coach Sockey. “Pitching to contact and just letting the defense go make plays [was key].”
Offensively, the Lady Bulldogs managed eight hits against Benton pitching, two of them by Mariah Hamilton. She also had two RBIs, along with Paxtyn Hayes. Greenwood’s final run came in the sixth.
″[It was] pitching and defense all three games,” said Coach Sockey. “The bats were really hot last week; then [Monday] we had some really timely hitting and great baserunning.”
With one out in the third inning, Emma McCorkle beat out a bunt single. Then with two outs McCorkle kept the inning going by beating the throw to second base on a routine grounder. Hamilton then brought McCorkle home with an RBI single to left.
“Base-to-base with speed was the difference,” Sockey said, referring to McCorkle’s baserunning.
Benton then dropped a foul pop which should have been the third out, giving the Lady Bulldogs and Paxtyn Hayes new life at the plate. She then bounced a shot off the wall in center, scoring Ally Sockey and Hamilton to extend the GHS advantage to 3-0.
The final run scored when Hamilton lofted a solo home run over the wall in left. It was her 10th homerun this season to go along with 55 RBIs.
With the victory, the Lady Bulldogs (25-5), who were shutout at home by Jonesboro in last year’s 6A quarterfinals, earned the right to return to Bogle Park on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, playing in their third championship game in five seasons.