BENTON -- Farmington pushed Greenbrier to the limit, but couldn't quite get over the hump in Saturday's 3-2 loss in the 5A State softball championship.
Despite committing 4 errors, Farmington was in the game coming into the last at-bat in the seventh inning.
Trailing 3-1, Carley Antwine drew a walk, sandwiched around a pair of fly-outs, the second of which was caught in foul territory by Greenbrier's first baseman near the dugout. That was the type of play Farmington forced Greenbrier to make to win the game and the Lady Panthers were up to the challenge.
Twice Greenbrier turned double plays, but the Lady Panthers had some anxious moments as drama built up. Antwine stole second with Madison Parrish batting. Parrish got ahead 3-1 and drew a walk.
Charging hard from second, Antwine scored when Farmington catcher Alyssa Reed produced a two-out single. The score narrowed Greenbrier's lead to 3-2 and advanced Parrish to second.
Greenbrier escaped with the win and state crown when McKenzi Bogan hit a ground-out to third.
"We know as well as anybody we left some runners on early that could have made a difference in this game," said Farmington coach Randy Osnes, referring to loading the bases in each of the first and second innings and scoring only one run. "You don't win 27 games in a season by committing four errors. We did a good job putting the ball in play. We had scoring opportunities, and those are the situations you have to take advantage of."
Antwine led off with a walk and Kally Stout reached on an error, then Parrish walked to begin Farmington's first at-bat. The Lady Cardinals took a 1-0 lead on Reed's single that took a Farmington bounce into left field, but the Lady Panthers limited the damage by turning a double play. Greenbrier starter Jaylee Engelkes induced a ground-out to get out of the inning.
In the second inning, Farmington again loaded the bases, this time with two outs. Freshman Shayley Treat got aboard with an infield single. Antwine made contact with the ball landing on the base path between second and third before bouncing into left field for a single. Stout hit down the third base line with the ball coming off the third baseman's glove. Parrish hit the ball right at third, but this time it was fielded and Greenbrier got out of trouble.
In the top of the third, Greenbrier tied the game at 1-1. Leadoff hitter freshman Kylie Griffin singled and went to second on a throwing error. She moved to third on Mckenzie Shannon's sacrifice bunt and scored on Engelkes' ground-out to second. Kailey Hamilton ground-out to first to end the inning.
Reed was hit by a pitch to start Farmington's half of the inning. She was replaced by courtesy runner Cambre Strange, but Greenbrier turned another double play on a grounder to shortstop and held the Lady Cardinals without a run.
In the top of the fifth, junior first baseman Alisa Hankins hit a line drive over second to lead off with a single. Cassidy Lear was ruled safe on a close play at first that brought Osnes out of the dugout. Kylie Griffin was thrown out at first on the next at-bat bringing Greenbrier coach Brian Butler out. Neither appeal was overturned and Reed playing catcher for Farmington tagged out a runner at home on a fielder's choice to get a second out. Disaster struck when Hankins reached on an error allowing 2 runs to score, which gave Greenbrier a 3-2 lead.
Farmington starter Paige Devecsery, who absorbed the loss with better numbers than her counter-part, Greenbrier starter Jaylee Engelkes; struck out the next batter to get out of the inning. Devecsery pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 runs (only 1 earned) on 8 hits with 1 walk and striking out five.
Parrish had a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth and McKenzi Bogan led off the sixth with a walk, but Farmington couldn't move either base-runner around and trailed 3-1 coming into the last-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
Despite the loss, Osnes was pleased with the effort, saying, "They didn't win the trophy they wanted to, but I couldn't be any more proud."
Sports on 05/23/2018