LADY BULLDOGS SOFTBALL : Coach says losses a ‘reality check’
Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008
The Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs may never want to see the Conway softball diamond again after Saturday's events at the Conway Invitational.
The Lady Bulldogs lost their first game in nearly a year and clawed their way back through the loser's bracket only to fall again in the championship game to the team that knocked them off earlier in the day.
Bentonville (8-2 ), a team that Fayetteville has not had much trouble with in the past, took a 5-4 win in the semifinals and a 1-0 shutout in five innings late Saturday night to take the Conway Invitational championship over the Lady Dogs.
"I guess we were just due. In the last four games against Fayetteville, we've had two close ones and two blowouts," Bentonville coach Kent Early said. "They, honestly, do a good job in the first inning coming out and getting runs on us."
That didn't happen Saturday, however. Bentonville pitcher Faith Lund shut Fayetteville's bats down, struck out 10 batters and the Lady Tigers provided the Lady Bulldogs with their first shutout loss in 75 games.
Fayetteville (13-2 ) now returns to conference play in the 7 A-West on Tuesday against Rogers with a date with Bentonville looming on April 7.
"Saturday was a reality check," Fayetteville coach Jason Shirey said. "It's just a situation where you can't say we can throw our gloves out there and it's over with. People are going to compete against us because they want to measure themselves against what we've done."
Luckily for Fayetteville, the two losses to Bentonville didn't cost the Lady Bulldogs two losses in conference. Fayetteville is still atop the 7 A-West with a 5-0 record, and have once beaten Bentonville, 7-0, in its conference opener.
In the invitational Saturday, the Lady Tigers scored the lone run in the championship after a triple by Alex Sullivan led to a sac-fly by Emily Dodd in the second inning. The game ended after five innings due to the tournament's 75-minute time limit.
Fayetteville's first loss to Bentonville Saturday ended after four innings.
"It's a lesson you learn. You have to play every night," Shirey said. "Bentonville is a good team and they have to be respected. You just have to play every game regardless of time limits or anything like that. Every out is important, every swing is important."
Lund allowed just three hits in the championship - two coming from Fayetteville's Morgan Keller. Keller also hit a home run in the 5-4 loss to Bentonville earlier Saturday.
"Keller is really hot right now," Early said. "She made us pay a couple of times. It's going to be a grind every time you play [Fayetteville ] because they're an awesome team."
Shirey said he was a bit disappointed with his team in the 5-4 loss but was less agitated during the second game against the Lady Tigers.
"I was much happier with our effort in the second game," Shirey said. "We were there mentally. As bad as we were defensively, there were a lot of great plays. Everyone contributed offensively at some point in the tournament and we've been spoiled by that at times with scoring in bunches. That didn't happen in the second game, but we had chances."
Fayetteville hosts Rogers Tuesday in a conference showdown and will then entertain Springdale Thursday before taking part in the Earline Scruggs Tournament in Rogers on Friday and Saturday.
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