Pictured is Madi Taylor
In their final scheduled battle before Districts, the Hackett Lady Hornets took on the Prairie Grove Lady Tigers. And although the Lady Hornets didn’t get the win, they did everything in their power to make sure that the Lady Tigers would have to work for the victory. With both teams equally matched with an amped-up offense and defense, the first two innings stood evenly still. Finally, at the top of the third inning, the Lady Hornets found their footing when Kayla Richardson and Madeline Freeman each scored a trip home. With the Lady Tigers still unable to make the scoreboard move, the game was back in the hands of Hackett to start the fourth inning.
This time it was Madi Taylor who bagged a run when Emma Infalt singled on a fly ball to center field. With the score set at 3-0 Hackett, the game again fell silent until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Lady Tigers evened the score and the game was tied 3-3 going into the eight. For the majority of coaches and players, this final heart-stopping teeth-gritting moment is what it’s all about. The Lady Hornets took a one-point lead when Freeman scored during their showing and now it was down to the final bottom of the game. Prairie Grove tied things back up at 4-4 but then stole the show on the last play earning the 5-4 win.
With a total of 10 hits, Madeline Freeman, Madi Taylor (who also collected 1 stolen base), Shayla Foster, and MacKenzie Mendenhall each took two hits while Kayla Richardson and Emma Infalt netted one apiece. Pitcher, Kayla Richardson, went for 7.2 innings earning 7 strikeouts and catapulting 103 pitches to 33 batters. With zero fielding errors, the Lady Hornets walked away with 23 putouts thanks to the sure-handed abilities of Jamye Durham who made 13, Sarah White who got 6, Mendenhall who logged 3, and Taylor who attained 1.
The Hackett Lady Hornets now hold a 13-8 total record and are flying into the 3A-4 District Tournament as the #2 seed. The Lady Hornets will face the winner of the #3 Waldron and #4 Cedarville game on Wednesday, April 28 at 4 pm in Booneville.
Photos courtesy of Bridget Freeman
