LITTLE ROCK — After losing the first game in the Siloam Springs Invitational Tournament this past weekend, the Lady Blackhawks softball team came back to win the next five, losing Saturday night against Gravette and earning the runner’s up spot.
“I’m really very proud of the girls,” head coach Josh Reynolds said. “I am very proud of the way they played. They could have shut down very easily Friday night after getting beat by Siloam.
“Once you get into the losers’ bracket, it’s hard to come back.
We didn’t hang our heads. We had a lot of fun,” Reynolds said.
The Lady ’Hawks entered this past weekend’s tournament witha 1/1 record. They had lost to Gentry 19/18 and beat Harrison 28/12.
The tournament, a double elimination tournament in which each team was guaranteed at least three games, included 10 teams from northwest Arkansas and the River Valley with teams of all sizes from 3A to 7A.
The ’Hawks lost the first game 10/9 to Gentry, moving them into the losers’ bracket.
They then played six games back to back Saturday with a break for lunch in the middle of the day. The first game was at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“We played great defense and had timely hitting. Jordan Winn and Jerica Schooley competed very well and gave us a chance to win ball games. Auti Galvin, Heather Houy and Kendall Young had a great weekend at the plate,” he said.
The Lady Blackhawks lost to Siloam Springs 5/3 Friday night.
Then, Saturday morning they beat Gentry 9/8, then beat 7A Fort Smith Northside 10/5, 7A Rogers Heritage 13/3 and then Charleston, 12/2. Lastly, they defeated Waldron 3/2 to advance to the championship round against Gravette, which the ’Hawks lost 4/2.
Sports, Pages 9 on 03/14/2012