FARMINGTON -- The Lady Cardinal softball team polished off 5A West foes, Maumelle, 6-2 and 7-1, on May 4; and Harrison, 10-0 and 13-2, on Thursday to wrap up third place.
The top four teams from the league qualify for state in 5A and Farmington is among them with Vilonia, Greenbrier and Maumelle also in the state tournament field. The Lady Cardinals will play Whitehall, No. 2 South, on Thursday in the first-round of the 2015 State 5A softball tournament at Hot Springs.
Farmington pounded Harrison pitching on senior night scoring 10 runs on 11 hits with no errors in game one and completing the sweep with 13 runs on 16 hits and one error in game two. Mackenzie Sill started in the chalked circle and won game one handily by throwing a shutout. In game two, she came on in relief of Brooke Larkin after the Goblins began the fourth inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases.
The Goblins may have chased Larkin from the circle but they couldn't get her out of the ballpark and she teamed up with Sill to nail the door shut. Sill induced a pop-up which Larkin caught at second base and quickly threw to first for a double play. Sill then got Perry Knight to ground out to Larkin at second base to end the inning with Farmington ahead by 10 runs.
Farmington got the runs they needed in the bottom of the third. With two outs and the bases loaded, Brandy Wallace blasted a 2-run single. Then with Courtney Bodine batting, the Lady Cardinals executed a double steal with a run scoring on a throw from the plate to second to build an 11-1 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Brooklyn Keeling led off with a double off the center field wall and was plated by Bethany Mcknight. The final fun came when Bethany Doty smacked a 3-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single.
Farmington had a tougher time with Maumelle on May 4 but the outcome was the same with the Lady Cardinals winning twice at home, 6-2 and 7-1.
Farmington coach Randy Osnes was pleased with both Sill and Larkin, who pitched against Maumelle.
"They did a great job of hitting spots. We got some ground balls to get out of some jams and we strung some hits together," Osnes said. "We're clicking on all cylinders. That's what you want."
Sports on 05/13/2015