By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Lady Bears lost a regular-season matchup of two teams with state title aspirations on Monday, falling 5-1 at home to White Hall in a nonconference game. The Lady Bears were coming off a 23-base hit, four-home run outing at Maumelle, but only managed four total base runners against the Lady Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, White Hall picked up 11 base hits, walked four times and took advantage of a Sylvan Hills error to compile its five runs.
The Lady Bulldogs (16-9-1, 8-3) took the lead with two runs in the top of the first inning and never trailed. Sylvan Hills turned a double play with two runners on, but withtwo outs, White Hall got a walk, a Sylvan Hills error and a base hit for a 1-0 lead. A third single of the opening inning, this one by Kirsten Wallace, made it 2-0.
In the top of the second, the first four White Hall batters reached base on two singles, a double and a walk that made it 3-0. After an infield pop-up, Henley Tucker singled to score Blair Quaries for a 4-0 Bulldog advantage.
In the fourth inning, Wallace hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Akins, stole third base and then scored on an RBI base hit by Quaries.
Sylvan Hills’ lone run came on the second pitch of the bottom of the fourth inning when MacKenzie Rodgers hit a leadoff home run to right field.
Cara Pozza hit a double while Doma’Nique Hunt and Tristen Goodson got one single apiece for Sylvan Hills. Lynlee Broadway took the loss after going all seven innings in the circle.
The Lady Bears (18-8, 12-0) completed league play Tuesday with a road doubleheader at Pulaski Academy. Look for details of those games in Saturday’s Leader. Weather permitting, they are scheduled to face Beebe at home on Thursday, and then play at Vilonia on Friday.
