LINCOLN -- With the tying run 60 feet away, Prairie Grove battled to keep Lincoln at bay, holding the runner while securing the last two outs.
Prairie Grove starter Laney Layman, who returned to the mound in the bottom of the sixth after giving way to Maddie Stearman early, made a 14-13 Prairie Grove lead stand despite giving up multiple base hits in Lincoln's last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh inning. Madison Jones led off with a single, but was tagged out trying to reach third on Kinley Webb's bunt single. Kaitlyn Lankford singled to put two Lincoln runners on. With Libby Calico batting, a passed-ball allowed Lankford to reach second. Kinley Webb was on third, but the Lady Tigers were able to cover home and hold her there. Layman got a strikeout and then induced a ground-out to end the game.
"I'm proud of them for finding a way to win," said Prairie Grove coach Dustin Beck. "That's a sign of a good team when you find a way to win when you don't play your best. You're not always going to play your best. Laney Started, then we went to Stearman. Then we asked Laney to come back in and finish it. That's hard to do especially when it's cold out."
Lincoln coach Beau Collins employed a similar strategy, starting Victoria Hammons in place of Ayden Massey, who was one of two Lincoln starters out with the flu, then replacing Hammons with Libby Calico with one out and the Lady Wolves trailing 11-6 in the top of the sixth. Calico allowed one run on Delaney Boyd's hit that was misjudged and landed in center field, but got the third out by fielding a ground ball and throwing to first.
That was the second potential catch that eluded Lincoln in the sixth. Anna Kidd started the inning with a single just over the out-stretched glove of Lincoln short stop Kinley Webb, whose foot got stuck in the ground. She was half-a-step away from making a play. Anna Kidd stole second and scored on Ali Edgar's sacrifice. Stearman drove in a run to extend Prairie Grove's lead to 11-6.
Lincoln was able to do in the sixth what they could not in the fifth. Jada Corbit smacked a single down the third base line, then Jones singled over first. Then came a series of well-executed bunts by the Lady Wolves beginning with Kinley Webb's bunt-single to load the bases. Lankford connected and Prairie Grove had a play but the throw was dropped at the plate, scoring a Lincoln run.
After a strike-out by Stearman, Hollie Webb laid down a bunt that died in front of the plate, scoring another Lincoln run on a squeeze play. Collins was pleased with the result, but admitted to Lincoln parents standing alongside the fence that he was sweating out the gamble.
The next bunt was even better.
Facing a 12-8 deficit with one out and the bases loaded, Lincoln first baseman Tristan Cunningham's bunt went beyond the infield and scored two runs pulling the Lady Wolves within, 12-10, with two runners still on base. That prompted Beck to bring Layman back into the game, but Lincoln was still riding their momentum.
Left fielder Malorie Pershall came up and the Lady Wolves pulled off a double coup with Hollie Webb going to third and Cunningham taking second. Pershall looked as if she was hitting into a fielder's choice as a run scored, but no out signal was given and Pershall took first, representing the go-ahead run. She moved to second on a steal and scored on Corbit's hit. Corbit was tagged out trying for an extra base, but the inning ended with Lincoln moving in front, 13-12.
Prairie Grove had one more chance to bat and they capitalized.
Kylie Scott walked and Katharine McConnell reached on an error. Calico issued a walk following a pop-up to first base for an out and Collins re-inserted Hammons as a pitcher. With the bases loaded, Lincoln catcher Lexington Dobbs tagged out a runner at the plate on Corbit's throw for out No. 2. However, the bases were still loaded and Layman decided she would get the win with her bat, blasting a 2 RBI single to restore the Lady Tigers into the lead, at 14-13, which she made hold up on the mound.
Sports on 03/22/2017