Bentonville slaps Van Buren with 12-1 win

The sight of a player getting her helmet slapped by teammates at home plate has become coming during Bentonville High's softball games. The routine is the sign of a Lady Tiger hitting another home run -- something that has happened 27 times this season. Morgan Nelson received the most recent celebratory slaps when her two-run home run ended Tuesday's game as Bentonville claimed a 12-1 victory over Van Buren at the Tiger Athletic Complex. "It always good to end the game with a walkoff," said Bentonville coach Kent Early, whose team extended its conference win streak to 18 games. "It's good to have that kind of ending to a game, and I thought our girls played pretty well for most of the game." Bentonville (20-2, 9-0) was already in control before Nelson belted her home run, her second of the season, after McKenzie Vaughan led off the sixth inning with a walk. Haley Cornell just missed a home run in the first when her sacrifice fly to the right-field fence easily scored Jenna Wildeman from third, then the Lady Tigers scored five in the second -- all of them coming after two were out. After a Van Buren error kept the inning alive and let Megan Crownover score from second, Wildeman belted a two-run triple off the left-field fence, then Tymber Riley added an RBI double and scored on Cornell's single. Bentonville then scored two runs in each of its last three innings to eventually force a run-rule. "We had that big two-out rally in the second, then we came in and bailed her out in the third," Early said. "She had a seven-pitch inning, and we became too relaxed at the plate. We had to regroup and focus, but the key point was Riley Hayes in the nine-hole. She had three hits and kept turning the lineup over. That's what you want to have." Wildeman also had three hits in Bentonville's 13-hit attack, while Cornell, Nelson and Crownover had two hits. Cailey Cochran (15-1) allowed one run on three hits and two walks while picking up 10 strikeouts.

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Van Buren High School Athletics

BENTONVILLE SLAPS VAN BUREN WITH 12-1 WIN

HENRY APPLE

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 4/18/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Athletics