Springtime in Arkansas is always unpredictable. One day teams are canceling games due to storms while the next they’re playing in weather with freezing galeforce winds. That was the exact scenario when the Mansfield Lady Tigers took to the diamond on Friday, March 17th. Mansfield was forced to cancel their game against Gentry on Thursday, March 16th due to thunderstorms and then froze their tails off the very next day as the Lady Tigers squared off against the Lamar Lady Warriors.
Lamar started the game being first at-bat and quickly got a body to first base off of a walk. Pitcher, Alyson Edwards, made up for the early freebie though by pitching back-to-back strikeouts on the next two Lady Warrior batters. Lamar would connect with a hit and rolled up a second-base steal to put two players on the bases. But Edwards shut down Lamar’s first-inning threat with a third and final strikeout sending the Lady Warriors off the field. Kynslee Ward and Brooklyn Adams each drilled in base hits but were cut off from advancing with Lamar taking each of them out on second base. Skylynn Harris popped up a “Sky Shot” that was snagged by a Lady Warrior to close out the first inning with a 0-0 score.
The back and forth between the two teams continued for the next three innings with neither team being able to get past second base at any point. Solid pitching by Alyson Edwards earned seven strikeouts during that period. Any hits that were taken by Lamar were shut down by Kynslee Ward, Ambria Whittaker, and catcher Brooklyn Adams. The Lady Tigers weren’t swinging at air when they were up to bat though. Ward, Adams, Whittaker, Kaylee Ward, Cole Smith, and Trinity Triska all made base hits, but Lamar’s gloves were just too strong to let Mansfield get a run in. With four innings in the books, the scoreboard stayed on the same 0-0 page.
The chilled breeze died down a little as the fifth inning began which must’ve allowed the aluminum bats to warm up. Alyson Edwards started the inning with back-to-back strikeouts giving Mansfield the idea that the top of the fifth was all but over. They were all but wrong though as Lamar tagged the next four pitches for three runs to put the first points of the game on the scoreboard. Lamar sent another hit into orbit, but Ambria Whittaker was there to snag the ball for an out sending the Lady Warriors back to the dugout with a 3-0 lead over Mansfield. The Lady Tigers had to find some momentum at the plate and it didn’t take long to find what they were looking for. Kynslee Ward and Brooklyn Adams both hit line drive singles into left field to set up spots on first and second base. Alyson Edwards swapped sides of the field with a rocket to right field sending Ward across home plate and Adams to third base. With things finally heating up, Skylynn Harris sent another shot sky bound allowing both Adams and Edwards to score tying the game up at 3-3 at the end of the fifth.
A blank sixth inning by the Lady Tigers and Lady Warriors led to an all-or-nothing final inning in the seventh. Lamar put two players on first and second base to set up what could have closed the book on the Lady Tigers. Fortunately for Mansfield though, Ambria Whittaker was there again to snag two outs at first base and Brooklyn Adams lived up to the name of her position, catcher, to grab the third out on Lamar. A tied ballgame at the bottom of the seventh can be a pressure cooker for those up to bat next. If that’s pressure though, Mansfield had exactly the needle to use to pop the top off of the game. Kynslee Ward and Brooklyn Adams again teed off base hits sending Alyson Edwards up to bat with the game on the line. Edwards closed out the game with a line drive into right field to send Ward and Adams across home plate giving Mansfield the two-run walk-off and a 5-3 victory over the Lady Warriors.
The Lady Tigers’ 5-3 win coincidently puts Mansfield’s overall record at 5-3. Mansfield will have some time to soak in their victory and rest up as the Lady Tigers go into spring break. The break will be greatly needed and well deserved but short-lived as Manfield will host a tough Horatio Lady Lions team on Monday, March 27th. Whether the wonderful Arkansas weather will comply or not is anyone’s guess, but rain or shine, the Lady Tigers will be ready.
