For the first-ever broadcast of Pioneer softball on CBS Sports Radio 1340 AM KBTA, Tuesday afternoon’s game had about everything you could ever want in home runs, extra innings, and a walk-off as the “cherry on top.”
Entering Tuesday, the Lady Pioneers had struggled to start the 2022 season dropping their first five matchups and would host the Heber Springs Lady Panthers who were riding a four-game win streak in non-conference action.
The Lady Panthers would open up the scoring in the top half of the first with a double and single to plate a run and take the early lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the leadoff hitter would fail to reach base before senior Caeley Wood would connect on a 1-2 count deep to left field for a home run and tie the score up at one. The one-one tie would continue until the bottom half of the third where junior Kaelyn Gooch would cross the plate and give the Lady Pioneers the lead after advancing from a Wood single and using great base running to bring the score to two to one. The Lady Panthers would even up the ballgame again in the fourth, scoring one run.
After a leadoff single from Wood in the bottom of the fourth, designated runner junior Sophie Poole would reach second on a passed ball and junior Abby Hurley would double to left and give the lead back to the Lady Pioneers three to two. Senior Taylor Rush would work along at-bat to a two-out single to left to extend the Lady Pioneer lead 4 to 2 at the end of the fifth inning.
No runs for either squad in the sixth as the Lady Panthers would enter the top of the seventh, down to their final three outs and would tack on two runs to put the pressure on the Lady Pioneers tying the ballgame heading into the bottom half of the inning. The Lady Pioneers would strand two runners at third and second and send the game to extras.
In extras, with a runner starting the inning at second, the Lady Panthers would take their first lead since the opening inning and take the Lady Pioneers to their final three outs in the bottom half of the inning. A sacrifice fly by Hurley would score Poole from third with bases loaded after a Gooch single and Wood walk, but the Lady Pioneers would strand them both and the game would head to the ninth.
The Lady Panthers would tack on another in the top of the ninth, once again applying the pressure to the Lady Pioneers for the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Hadley Cunningham would score the equalizer on a Gooch single, Wood would pop out and junior Abby Hurley would work a 3-2 count and take a hit by pitch walk to walk-off the ballgame and give the Lady Pioneers their first victory of the season 7 to 6.
Junior Brylie Simpson would pick up the victory from the circle allowing just one earned run in nine innings and allowing eleven hits.
Article by Wes Gwaltney
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