Losing to a team that eventually plays for the state championship usually provides a little solace to the losing team.
But Lincoln coach Beau Collins doesn't quite see it that way after his Lady Wolves were eliminated by Pocahontas with an 8-2 loss in the Class 4A quarterfinals in Mena on May 13. Pocahontas defeated Pottsville 3-2 in the semifinals to advance to Friday's title game.
"It makes it feel a little better that they're going to play in the championship game," Collins said. "I think our book said we had six errors and they scored five runs off six errors, so losing that way hurts. If we had not committed those errors and lost 3-2, it doesn't hurt nearly as badly.
"You can't make mistakes in those rounds, or anywhere in the state tournament, but it does make it feel a little better to see the team you lose to make it."
Pocahontas will hook up with Mena on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Bogle Park in Fayetteville. Collins hopes he can take his players to the game, just so his young team can experience a state championship atmosphere firsthand. Only two starters off this year's team are seniors.
"I want them to go and watch it because the goal is to be there," Collins said. "It was good to go see the state tournament and to go win a game, to know they are capable of that, especially as young as we are and what we have coming back, this is what we're wanting to be."
The Lady Wolves reached the "Elite 8" by defeating Bauxite 1-0 in the opening round of the state tournament on May 12. They did it behind solid pitching, fielding and timely hitting.
Senior right-hander Ashtyn Rothrock allowed 3 hits and struck out 8 while pitching her second shutout in as many games.
"They hit [Rothrock] a little more than the teams we've been playing, but we played great defense behind her," Collins said. "And we really played awesome defense the last few innings after we took the lead."
Lexington Dobbs doubled off the wall in left-center and was driven in by Madison Jones in the fifth inning.
The win created plenty of buzz about the Lady Wolves, a program that made it to state for the first time since 2003. After winning the 4A-1 Conference Tournament, they won two games at regionals to enter state as the No. 3 seed from the 4A-North.
"It was one of the best games we had played all year long, and Bauxite played a great game, too," Collins said. "I hope [this season] got us noticed a little bit, but I think the girls have to go back to state a few more times and be consistently playing in those games before we'll really be considered one of the elite teams you have to contend with year in, year out."
Sports on 05/18/2016