By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Good defense in the first game gave way to shaky defense in the nightcap for North Pulaski in a pair of doubleheader losses to White Hall on Tuesday at Dupree Park.
The Lady Falcons (4-7, 0-6 5A-Southeast) held the hard-hitting Lady Bulldogs to one run in Game 1 but White Hall won 1-0.
The Lady Bulldogs then took advantage of critical defensive mistakes early by the Lady Falcons in the second game to take an 11-0, run-ruled victory and the conference sweep.
“I was excited to see how we played defensively in that first game,” Lady Falcons coach Ann Tharp said. “We played really good defense — of course, we weren’t able to score — but I was thrilled with our defensive play. Some of our games we’ve played against them in past seasons have been really ugly.”
North Pulaski pitcher Brittany Bains performed well against White Hall’s batting order in Game 1, giving up five hits and four walks in seven innings. But one of those hits, a double by cleanup batter Haley Baugh, scored the game’s only run in the top of the first inning.
Kayla Walters reached for the Lady Bulldogs when North Pulaski misplayed her infield pop up, and scored on Baugh’s drive to left field.
The Lady Falcons had few scoring opportunities in Game 1.
Outfielder Lindsey Silvas got as far as second base in the bottom of the fifth inning when she reached on an error and advanced on Haley Hudson’s single fly to center. But North Pulaski already had two outs when Silvas and Hudson reached base, and both were stranded when senior Laura Dortch grounded out to shortstop.
North Pulaski had scattered hits in the first two innings, including a single to center by catcher Heather Fleshman in the bottom of the first and a single to center by sophomore Kelsey Whitmore in the second.
Fleshman led off the bottom of the fourth with a bloop to left field, but White Hall retired the next three batters to leave Fleshman stranded for the second time.
Fleshman went 2 of 3 to lead the Falcons. For White Hall, Baugh was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.
The Lady Falcons loaded the bases in the top of the second in Game 2 when Whitmore singled, Shelby Floyd walked and Silvas singled with two outs. But White Hall worked its way out of that jam, and held on again in the third when leadoff batter Hudson walked and advanced to third before the Lady Falcons’ ran out of outs.
North Pulaski came into the doubleheader with a dose of confidence after a 14-1 rout over Little Rock Fair last week. Every player in the lineup had at least one hit, and Bains had eight strikeouts during the rout.
The Lady Falcons are hosting the fourth-annual Jae Lynn Russell Memorial Tournament this weekend at Dupree Park. The finals are set for today at 5 p.m.
