Lady Cardinals Punch State Ticket

MARK HUMPHREY  ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Farmington senior Grace Boatright (right) receives congratulations from coach Randy Osnes after belting a home run that helped the Lady Cardinals beat Clarksville, 10-2, on Thursday, May 6 during the 4A North Regional softball tournament held at Harrison. The win put the Lady Cardinals into last week’s state tournament at Morrilton. They concluded state play on Saturday with a 5-4 loss to Pea Ridge in the semifinals.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Farmington senior Grace Boatright (right) receives congratulations from coach Randy Osnes after belting a home run that helped the Lady Cardinals beat Clarksville, 10-2, on Thursday, May 6 during the 4A North Regional softball tournament held at Harrison. The win put the Lady Cardinals into last week’s state tournament at Morrilton. They concluded state play on Saturday with a 5-4 loss to Pea Ridge in the semifinals.

HARRISON -- Farmington secured a Class 4A State Softball tournament bid in its last season under coach Randy Osnes with a decisive, 10-2, win over Clarksville on Thursday, April 28 at Harrison.

Carson Griggs (21-1) earned the win for Farmington. Griggs went seven innings, allowing 2 runs on one hit and 2 walks while striking out five. She limited Clarksville to a collective 1-for-23 showing at the plate helping the Lady Cardinals play it cool in what could have been a pressure-cooker game.

"In the beginning I think we all felt a little bit nervous, but then we realized that we just play the game that we know, and we'll do good," Carson Griggs said.

Osnes praised the play of Carson Griggs for pitching a very good ball game and the team hit when they needed to.

"We ran ourselves out of some situations, but the big thing is in this game right here, and this game's tough, this is the one that gets you to state. Now, you just go on and play loose and just enjoy the rest of the week and we'll get to go down to Morrilton next week and play in the first round based on these seed games," Osnes said.

Grace Boatright (3-for-3, 3 RBIs, home run, double), Shayley Treat (3-for-3, 1 RBI), and Reese Shirey (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) accumulated 9 of the Lady Cardinals 16 total hits. Remington Adams (2-for-4, double), and Drew Clifford (2-for-4, 1 RBI) also chipped in for the Lady Cardinal offense.

Clarksville dodged more than one bullet when sharply-hit fly balls got held up by a brisk wind.

"We had a few balls that if the wind hadn't been blowing in out of the left might have left the park. Instead you've got to play in those kind of conditions and make sure you adjust and hit line drives," Osnes said. "We put some hits together when we needed to."

The Lady Cardinals (24-2) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Grace Boatright doubled on a 1-1 count. Leadoff hitter Treat scored easily and Osnes waved in Remington Adams. Cardinal fans held their breaths during a scary moment, when Adams on gutsy move, slid into the plate and scored. Clarksville's catcher was called for obstructing the plate, but Adams sprawled out across the plate.

Eventually, she got to her feet and limped off after sustaining a mild ankle sprain.

"We taped it up, iced her pretty good and I think she'll be good to go for tomorrow," Osnes said.

Adams didn't start the next inning, but didn't sit out long. She came back out onto the field scooping up grounders and throwing people out. The wind appeared to rob Adams of more than one home run.

"She made some good plays in the field and hit the ball extremely hard. She hit the ball on the nose and did a really good job," Osnes said.

Carson Griggs retired Clarksville in order in the top of the second. Boatright caught a pop-up behind the plate, followed by a strike out, and a ground out to second with Adams recording the out.

Farmington tacked on four runs in the second. Shirey bunted her way on and scored on Justine Davidson's triple. Treat walked and Davidson scored on a Clarksville throwing error. Adams sent a fly ball into deep center, but wind robbed her of a potential home run and Clarksville made the out.

Boatright hammered a 2-run homer against the wind stretching Farmington's lead to 6-0 and Treat singled to drive in a run in the third.

Except for one inning where the ball took a couple of favorable bounces for Clarksville, Carson Griggs kept the Lady Panthers off-balance. She shook off the brief spurt with Clarksville scoring a pair of runs in the fifth on Layla Pasley's single and finished with six scoreless innings of work.

"We just put our mistakes behind us and keep playing the game because we know that we were ahead [7-2 after five innings]," Carson Griggs said.

Farmington added three more runs in the sixth. Boatright and Kennedy Griggs singled. Clifford drove in a run, and after an out, Shirey plated two runs with a single making the final, 10-2.

A few weeks back Osnes discerned the girls were making the season too much about him, and redirected their focus. Carson Griggs talked about balancing those two interests for the good of the team.

"We just continue to play our game, and we just play as a team, and we just think about that instead of thinking of it as our last game' because we definitely don't want to get beat."

Playing with younger sister, Kennedy Griggs, a junior, who can also pitch, serves as an added bonus for Carson Griggs' senior season.

"I've played with her a few times, but it's really fun getting to play with her ... We know each other pretty well so it's pretty easy to know when one is not doing good or when one is doing well," she said.

Amelia Wagner took the loss for Clarksville. She left after allowing 6 runs on 8 hits in two innings, and was replaced by Shelby Ross, who gave up 4 runs on 8 hits with 2 walks and a pair of strike outs over four innings.

4A North Regional Softball

May 6, 2021

At Harrison

Farmington 10, Clarksville 2

Clarksville (9-19)^000^020^0^--^2^1^3

Farmington (24-2)^241^003^x^--^10^16^1

W -- Griggs, L -- Wagner.