LADY BEARCATS WIN IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AGAIN

Going to the seventh inning in Pea Ridge yesterday the Lady Bearcats were leading 2-1. Going to the bottom of the inning it was 6-1.

Three outs on six Lexi Franklin pitches later it was over and the Lady

Bearcats had won in northwest Arkansas for the second time in three days.

Caroline Smithson reached on a Lady Blackhawk error to start the seventh and, after a sacrifice bunt by Karmen Kent, Roni Tillery delivered an RBI double to make it 3-1.

After Layla Byrum beat out a grounder Leigh Swint bunted her way aboard with Tillery scoring to make it 4-1, Franklin followed with a two run single for a 6-1 advantage.

For Byrum and Swint it was their third hits of the day.

The Lady Bearcats (18-1) took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. With Byrum and Swint aboard and one down, Brooke Turner grounded out to score the first run and Joliegh Tate followed with an RBI triple.

Pea Ridge cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth when a leadoff walk scored on a one-out double.

The walk was one of four Franklin (shown fielding a ball back to the circle) allowed but the double was one of just two Pea Ridge hits. Franklin (15-1) also struck out seven.

The Lady Bearcats will be home today to take on Cedarville in a game postponed on March 8. The game will have no bearing on the 3A-4 tournament seeding.