Lady Elks on verge of another state championship game
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008
The Elkins Lady Elk softball team finds itself in a familiar spot this afternoon in Pine Bluff.
For the sixth-straight year, Elkins (28-2 ) has reached the threshold of another statetitle game. The defending 3 A state champions will face Smackover (19-6 ) today at 4 p.m. in the semifinals of the 3 A State Tournament at Regional Park.
A 9-1 win over Corning Friday in the first round and a 6-2 vanquishing of Horatio Saturday in the quarterfinals has Elkins on the verge of another appearance at Lady'Back Yard. Beating Smackover today will put the Lady Elks in their third championship game since 2005, when they lost in extra innings to twotime champion Farmington.
Elkins' success has been built on a foundation shaped by pitching, defense and offense. Its facility for all three phases of the game begins with senior pitcher Amanda Caywood. Her 6-2 decision Saturday improved her record to 77-21 during her four years in the circle for the Lady Elks.
The reigning Northwest Arkansas Times'County Female Athlete of the Year has an expansive repertoire of pitches she can summon to subdue batters. The mainstay is a deceptive fastball that sets up a curve and change-up. Her menu of pitches expanded this year to include a rise ball and screw ball.
She needed her entire arsenal Saturday. When the Horatio hitters started sitting on her fastball early in the count, she and catcher Hannah Powers, who makes all the pitching calls, adjusted.
"The Caywood kid is a pitcher," said Kevin Sullivan, Horatio coach. "She's not a thrower. She's a pitcher. We jumped on pitches early in the count. About the sixth and seventh inning when we're trying to make a comeback, she starts throwing her changeup early in the count.
"We were almost falling on our faces. We didn't adjust to that very well. She made a good adjustment late in the game to keep us off balance."
The diversity of Elkins'offense was also evident Saturday. Employing a mixture of bunts, situational hitting and clutch hitting, the Lady Elks fashioned a 6-0 lead through four innings. The shor t game prowess of Powers and Kayleigh Harriman led to three runs in Elkins' first three at bats. Powers accounted for the third run, scoring from third base on a Carly Powers ground out to shortstop. The run wouldn't have scored without Harriman's take-out slide at second base, forestalling a potential double play that would've ended the inning.
The cumulative effect of little things like Harriman's take-out slide add up at the end of games, however, small ball isn't the only dimension of Elkins'offense. Shortstop Maddie Divis is a dangerous hitter at the top of the order. Her frozen-rope double, tightroping the left field foul line, was the biggest of Elkins' four hits with runners in scoring position. It scored Jessica Kimball and Mandie Keith to break open the game.
A few defensive lapses were the only deficiencies in Elkins' game Saturday. Soft-spoken coach Paula Wheeler said a good night's sleep at home should remedy the two errors that sullied Elkins' otherwise sound performance.
"We probably had more errors this game than we've had all year," Wheeler said. "The girls have spent two nights in a hotel. We're ready to get back home so we can rest and get back [today ].
"We're still not where we need to be for [today's ] game. When we come back [today ], we'll be ready."
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