Ellie Smith circled the bases three times against Fort Smith Southside yesterday in Fort Smith and in so doing established a new record for runs scored in a single season with 44.
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Lexi Franklin had scored 43 times in 2024. Smith scored 40 times that season and has now hit the 40-run make for the second time. With 27 runs scored as a sophomore and eight as a freshman, Smith has now scored 119 times in four years.
The most recent three of those runs helped the Lady Bearcats (18-8) beat the Lady Mavericks 11-2 in a final tune-up for the Class 3A Region 1 tournament that starts on Thursday.
Smith led off the game with a base hit and scored the first run of the day on another hit by Cameron Parish. An error got a second run home and Tori Nobles (4-for-5) doubled home another.
Smith started the second with another hit and scored again, on another RBI single by Parish, who also scored three times.
Peighton Montalvo grounded out to score another run and with two down Farrah Stringer doubled home two to make it 7-0.
Smith needed no help on her third trip around the bases, leading off the third with an inside the park homerun and it was 8-0.
After Southside pushed across a couple runs of their own, Caroline Diffee singled home a run in the fourth, Smith had a bunt single RBI in the sixth, and Nobles singled home one in the seventh.
Presley Walker also had a multiple hit day going 2-for-4 and Roni Tillery had a double and two walks.
The next scheduled game for the Lady Bearcats is at 5:30 on Thursday against Providence Academy in the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament in Lincoln. The winner advances to the regional semifinals and to next week’s Class 3A state tournament in Greenland.
The Lady Patriots are the 2-seed out of the District 3A-1 and the Bearcats are the 3-seed from the 3A-4. Providence Academy is 13-6 on the season.
SMITH SETS SINGLE SEASON RUNS SCORED RECORD IN WIN AT FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE
