BYRUM HOMERS IN SEVENTH, LADY BEARCATS TOP LAMAR

Layla Byrum led off the seventh inning with a solo home run and the Lady Bearcats went on to take an 8-3 lead to the bottom of the seventh before settling for an 8-4 road win.

After Byrum sent a 2-2 pitch out of the yard, Leigh Swint drew a base on balls and Lexi Franklin reached on an error with Swint circling the bases for a 7-3 lead.

Lexi Franklin scored on a ground ball by Brooke Turner to make it 8-3.

Turner was repeatedly involved in scoring plays as for five and a half innings Thursday the Lady Bearcats (6-1) had built a 5-0 lead.

Turner singled home two in the first inning and it was Turner who reached on a two out error to score a run in the third to make it 3-0. Joleigh Tate followed with a hit to make it 4-0.

Turner was aboard again in the fifth, sending Lexi Franklin to third, before being lifted for pinch runner Lydia Franklin. A ground ball by Tate got Lexi Franklin in for a 5-0 lead.

Lamar got within 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth with two runs coming on a home run and the other on a two out error that prolonged the inning.

Although the five run lead was reestablished, and with one inning remaining, Lamar burned its first out with a sacrifice bunt.

The play led to a run but Lexi Franklin induced a line drive to right which Karmen Kent (shown fielding a ball) handled and a ground ball to Byrum to end it.

The Lady Bearcats will play for the fourth time this week in Waldron today then host the Raymond Turner Memorial Tournament tomorrow where they could play as many as four more games.

Prior to this week the Lady Bearcats had played just four times.