FARMINGTON -- The Lady Cardinals consistently get stronger as a game progresses, that's been a trademark of the 2021 softball season which showed up again in Thursday's 4-3 state tournament win.
Farmington remains alive in the Class 4A State softball tournament after a nail-biting seventh inning rally highlighted by Remington Adams' 2-run homer in a meeting between No. 2 East seed Valley View and the Lady Cardinals, No. 3 North.
Adams' blast following Grace Boatright's leadoff single erased a 3-2 deficit with courtesy runner Kinley Meek and Adams both crossing the plate. Farmington pitcher Carson Griggs (23-2) made the lead hold up in the bottom of the seventh. Griggs allowed three runs on two hits while striking out six and surrendering three walks.
One of those hits was a home run by Valley View's Lexi Davis. The Lady Blazers seized a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth ending a 2-2 tie that lasted four innings, but couldn't hold onto their advantage when Adams went yard -- her latest feat from an impressive resume that includes making double plays and clutch hits.
In the first inning, Farmington took an early lead against Valley View when Boatright singled, driving in a run. The Lady Cardinals tacked on another run in the top of the second to go up 2-0. In the bottom of the second inning, Valley View tied the score at 2-2 with Grace Butler singling to drive in a run.
Riley Smith took the loss for Valley View. In seven innings, she gave up 13 hits and four runs while striking out two with no walks. The Lady Cardinals' 13 hit-parade was led by Shayley Treat (3-for-4, double), Boatright (3-for-4, RBI) and Kamryn Uher (2-for-4). Farmington left 10 runners on base, yet found a way to win and advance to the state quarterfinals against Malvern on Friday.
Season Trends
Farmington has been doing this all season.
On March 29 Farmington pulled off a 9-7 nonconference win over Class 6A Bentonville West, which took a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning only to have Farmington erupt for nine runs in the bottom half of the inning. Adams' triple drove in two runs and Carson Griggs added a two-run double in the midst of a flurry of West errors including allowing a run to score from third on a dropped strike three.
On April 8, the Lady Cardinals edged Gentry 7-6, securing a conference victory crucial to winning the league title. The Lady Pioneers jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but were limited to one run for the remainder of the game. Farmington fought back, scoring four runs in the fifth inning and narrowing the gap to 6-5. The Lady Cardinals took the lead with two runs produced by the bottom of the order in the sixth on key hits by freshman Justine Davidson, sophomore Drew Clifford and freshman Reese Shirey.
The Lady Cardinals' inner strength played a huge role in beating Harrison, 8-2, on April 15. Farmington took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The score stayed that way until Shayley Treat's grand slam triggered a 5-run fourth inning pushing the lead to 6-0. The Lady Goblins came into the contest tied for first in the conference and got a solo home run from Katie Fleming in the fifth. They threatened at times, but Farmington turned two double plays including one with Adams, who plays second base, covering first in a bunt situation.
She's quick to share the credit while acknowledging the team's trend to get stronger over the course of a game.
"I think it was all of us that contributed, not just me myself, but when Justine Davidson got that ball and [made a] really heads up play to throw it to second," Adams said. "Then Grace [Boatright] being able to cover home and everybody was just heads-up all the way around and it was really was a game changer, especially after getting those three errors in the beginning."
Adams and the team want to send Coach Randy Osnes, who plans to retire after the season, out as a winner. She talked about the motivation that extra incentive adds coming off a 2020 season canceled by covid as a member of a team Osnes says is the best he's ever coached.
"Especially after last year when we were 3-0 on the season and we were just really strong at the beginning and we could tell," Adams said. "This year, we've kind of made ourselves stronger throughout the year and we want to send him out big, especially after losing [our season] last year and knowing that we could have made it to the end and we're going to this year."
State Class 4A Softball
May 13, 2021
At Morrilton
Farmington 4, Valley View 3
Farmington (26-3)^110^000^2^--^4^13^1
Valley View (25-6)^020^001^0^--^3^2^3
W -- C. Griggs, L -- Smith.