SPORTS EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of a series evaluating how local teams performed against top teams in the state. Farmington went 21-4 overall, and 6-1 in the 4A-1 Conference. The Lady Cardinals lost, 7-3, to eventual Class 4A State Runner-up, Pea Ridge, in the district semifinal, a team they beat, 6-5, on Thursday, April 13, in league play. Both games went eight innings. Farmington lost 10-6 at home to Gravette on Friday, April 7, in conference play, and 13-1 to to the eventual Class 4A State champion Lady Lions in the 4A North Regional semifinal. The Lady Cardinals entered the Class 4A State softball tournament as a No. 3 seed, and lost 4-3 to Bauxite in the Class 4A State quarterfinals on Saturday, May 13. Springdale finished 6-19 overall and 2-14 in the 6A West and did not qualify for state.
FARMINGTON -- Senior pitcher Kamryn Uher (4-0) controlled Springdale, throwing a complete game shutout and leading Farmington to a 10-0 victory on Tuesday, April 11.
Victoria Hennarichs (2 for 3) singled in the first inning for Springdale, but Kamryn Uher (4 hits, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk) did not give up an extra-base hit over five innings.
The Lady Cardinals (12-1, 2-1) presented Kamryn Uher with a 1-0 lead in the first inning when junior outfielder Reese Shirey drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. On the heels of a scoreless second, Farmington racked up five runs in the third inning. Isabella Hulsey (2 for 4, double, 2 RBIs), Mallory Sills (2 for 3, double, 1 RBI) and Skyler Riddle (1 for 2, 2 RBIs) fueled the explosion by driving in runs.
Janessa McNelly took the loss for Springdale. McNelly allowed six runs on six hits over three innings, striking out two. Illeana Sauls threw two innings out of the bullpen, yielding four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Farmington chalked up nine hits in the game. Sophomore Morgan Uher, the younger sister of Kamryn Uher, went 2 for 3 in the leadoff hitter slot. She tripled and scored a pair of runs.
Katie Fleming went 2 for 4 with a double and one run driven in for the Lady Cardinals. Farmington added three runs in the top of the fifth to reach the run-rule margin, and maintained the shutout without committing a single error. Sills had the most chances in the field with six. The Lady Cardinals left eight runners stranded.
Springdale was hurt by four errors, and left five runners on base.
Farmington 21, Berryville 3
The Lady Cardinals trailed early, then unloaded a barrage of runs to claim a 4A-1 Conference run-rule road win on Monday, March 27.
Berryville scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, but Farmington (7-0) answered with 20 runs over the next three innings. Fleming (2 for 3, 2 RBIs) homered and drove in two runs while scoring twice for the Lady Cardinals.
Reese Shirey (2 for 4, triple, 3 RBIs), Morgan Uher (2 for 3, 2 walks, 2 RBIs), Amia Carr (2 for 3, 2 RBIs) and Justine Davidson (2 for 4, double, 2 RBIs) bashed out multiple hits. Eleven different Lady Cardinals contributed at least one of the team's 15 hits.
Kennedy Griggs threw five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and four walks to earn the win.
Bailey Skelton took the loss for Berryville. She surrendered 21 runs on 15 hits, walking five and striking out one. Control was an issue with six Farmington batters hit by a pitch. The Lady Bobcats committed five errors.
Berryville was winless in the 4A-1.
For Berryville, Kynadee Hopper was 2 for 3.