The GHS girls varsity softball team returned from spring break last week to face a difficult lineup of games against both conference and non-conference foes, going 1-4 for the week. They faced 5A West foe Van Buren last Tuesday in a league doubleheader and were slated to play in a tournament at Van Buren over the weekend. Instead, that tournament was cancelled, forcing them to scramble to find replacement opponents in Fort Smith Southside, Benton, and Bentonville.
The Lady Bulldogs are now 5-6 overall on the season and 2-2 in conference play, with games scheduled this coming week at Vilonia, a league doubleheader on Tuesday, before hosting Hackett on Thursday and traveling to Fort Smith Southside on Saturday, both non-conference contests. With Easter falling on Sunday, April 17th, they have only two games scheduled for that week, a 5A West twinbill at home against Siloam Springs on Tuesday the 12th.
Van Buren
After opening conference play two weeks earlier with a doubleheader sweep at Russellville, the Lady Bulldogs stumbled twice last Tuesday at home against the Lady Pointers of Van Buren, though both games were close and highly contested. Greenwood lost 6-4 in the opener before falling 3-2 in the nightcap.
Game #1: The GHS girls scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and led 3-2 until Van Buren rallied with three runs in the fifth and another in the seventh. Greenwood scored once in the fifth, but was shutout over the final two frames, though the Lady Bulldogs outhit the visitors 8-7. However, three GHS errors allowed four unearned runs by the Lady Pointers, making the difference in the game. Starting pitcher Tori Howard went the distance for Greenwood.
Howard threw 108 pitches, 77 of which were strikes, walking only one enemy hitter and fanning seven. Her effort was certainly good enough to merit a win, but a fielding error in the fifth inning opened the door for Van Buren to take the lead for good. The GHS starter gave up a two-run homer in the top of the first, but did not allow another run until the fifth.
On offense, the Lady Bulldogs tallied eight hits, all singles, including three by Macey Cutsinger and two by Kylie Lawson. Cutsinger scored two runs and Lawson drove one home. The remaining hits were by Mady Cartwright, Charlize Taylor, and Howard. Cartwright and Howard had solo RBIs and Cartwright scored a run. Greenwood hitters struck out ten times and received no walks. Like Howard, Van Buren’s starting pitcher also went the distance for the win.
Game #2: Haley McAdams toed the rubber for Greenwood in game two and also went seven innings in the 3-2 loss. The game was tight throughout before Van Buren scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning. Scoreless after two frames, the Lady Pointers pushed across solo runs in the third and fourth innings for a 2-0 lead. Greenwood added a run in the fourth and another in the sixth to tie the score at 2-2. Both GHS runs were unearned with Van Buren making four errors in the game. Good pitching limited both offenses, which combined for just 11 hits in the contest.
McAdams threw 87 pitches over seven frames, 50 of them strikes, walked just one Van Buren hitter and allowed six hits. Overall, her defense backed her up well with only one fielding miscue, though one of the Lady Pointers’ runs was unearned. McAdams only walk came to lead off the top of the seventh inning, followed by a two-out triple, plating the winning run.
With the bats, the Lady Bulldogs had just five hits, two by Charlize Taylor, who also scored a run. Kylie Lawson, Lilly Williams, and McAdams accounted for the other hits, all of them singles. Lawson was credited with the only GHS run batted in. The same Van Buren pitcher started, completed, and won both ends of the league doubleheader for the visitors.
Fort Smith Southside
Last Friday, on April Fool’s Day, the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Lady Mavericks in non-conference play and extracted a much-needed 6-2 win behind the solid work of starting pitcher Tori Howard and reliever Haley McAdams. Greenwood scored three times in the bottom of the first, then added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Southside’s only runs came in their final at bat in the top of the seventh. Greenwood out-hit the visitors eight to six and both teams committed three errors in a mutually sloppy defensive effort.
Howard pitched the first four frames, giving up three hits, no walks, and no runs. McAdams relieved in the fifth and closed out the victory, allowing three hits, three walks, and two runs, though neither run was earned. The two GHS pitchers needed a combined 97 pitches to dispatch the Lady Mavs, throwing 67 strikes.
With the sticks, the Lady Bulldogs had only one player with multiple hits. Brianna Taylor was 2-for-3, including a double and an RBI, also scoring a run. Macey Cutsinger, Mady Cartwright, Paige Pugh, Tori Howard, Haley McAdams, and Lilyanna Gigerich all had solo hits, all singles. Cartwright and Gigerich also had an RBI along with Kylie Lawson, Rylee Cowart, and Charlize Taylor. Cartwright also scored two runs.
Benton
These same two teams met in the 5A championship game last May, with the Lady Panthers claiming the state title. Unfortunately, Benton returns almost everyone from that team and remain the favorites to repeat as state champs in 2022. The Lady Bulldogs hope to change that in the postseason, but last Saturday at Bentonville the Lady Panthers continued their dominance with a 5-0 shutout win over Greenwood.
Benton starter Alyssa Houston was in complete command over the first four innings, throwing 51 pitches to 12 GHS hitters, retiring each of them in succession, including seven strikeouts, no hits, and no walks. Elana Scott relieved Houston and also fanned seven and gave no walks while surrendering just two hits and no runs to preserve the victory.
Greenwood’s Haley McAdams started the game and gave up a pair of runs in the first inning, saddling her with the loss. She pitched 4.1 innings and gave up nine hits with two walks. Three of Benton’s five runs off McAdams were earned. The GHS defense committed an error in the first inning that contributed to two Benton runs. Mady Cartwright and Brianna Taylor accounted for Greenwood’s only two hits.
Bentonville
Later on Saturday afternoon the Lady Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaker to the host Lady Tigers, losing 5-4 while leaving the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning. The Bentonville girls plated two runners in the bottom of the second frame before both teams scored single runs in the third inning. The Lady Tigers then added a pair of runs in the fourth before Greenwood rallied with two scores in the sixth and one more in the seventh.
Greenwood out-hit Bentonville by a 10-to-seven margin and both teams made one fielding error. GHS starter Tori Howard walked three Lady Tigers, but none of them came around to score, though they did extend innings and forced Howard to throw more pitches. All of Bentonville’s hits were singles and the Lady Tigers struck out four times. Both teams scored two unearned runs in the contest. Howard labored through six innings of work, throwing 114 pitches, 69 of them for strikes.
At the plate, the Lady Bulldogs had four doubles among their 10 hits and three players with multiple hits. Macey Cutsinger went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Brilea Rofkahr also doubled as did Kylie Lawson. Mady Cartwright was 3-of-4 with three singles and a run scored. Paige Pugh also had a two-bagger with two RBIs while Brianna Taylor had two hits, both singles, with an RBI.
Kylie Lawson’s one-out double started Greenwood’s seventh inning rally, followed by three consecutive singles by Cutsinger, Cartwright, and Brianna Taylor, plating one run while keeping the bases loaded. But Bentonville pitching was able to retire the next two hitters, stranding the potential tying and winning runs on base.