CLASS 4A: Ashdown makes its chances count

FAYETTEVILLE - Highland's woeful defense got Ashdown started Saturday, and Jamie Fleming did the rest.

The Lady Panthers took advantage of six Highland errors and Fleming pitched a two-hit shutout to give Ashdown a 7-0 victory in the Class 4A state championship game at Lady 'Back Yard and its first state title.

Ashdown (24-11) scored its 7 runs on 6 hits and committed 2 errors, but the Lady Panthers capitalized on the opportunities they were given. Highland (27-9) committed at least one error in four of the last five innings, during which Ashdown scored all of its runs.

Highland junior Karisa Hendrix was bothered by command issues throughout her outing, walking eight batters despite striking out 11.

"We didn't go out there and blast her out of the box," Ashdown Coach Wiley Cunningham said. "If a team makes errors and you don't take advantage, you're going to come out on the bottom.

"We didn't play our short game as well as we have in the past, but our defense played solid behind [Fleming]."

Fleming, a senior righthander, struck out 10 and walked two to earn the MVP award.

"She's been solid all year long," Cunningham said. "She's always been a hard thrower, but she struggled with her location before. This year she started hitting her spots. She's adjusted to the umpires.

"If we're struggling, she reaches down inside to pull out something and get us out of trouble."

Highland's only threat came in the fourth inning, when the Lady Rebels recorded their only two hits. They loaded the bases with one out with the game still scoreless, but Fleming struckout the next two batters to leave all three runners stranded.

"She did a great job getting ahead of the batters," Highland Coach Rebecca Rider said. "She'd get ahead and we'd chase it."

Highland began to break down defensively in the fourth inning. The Lady Panthers scored the game's first 2 runs off 1 hit, 3 errors and 1 walk in the inning.

Bethany Mulholland's infield single to third was the Lady Panthers' only hit of the inning. Two errors by shortstop Katheryn Bobo and one by third baseman Whitney Crook gave Ashdown a 2-0 lead.

Hendrix walked in a run in the top of the fifth, and the Lady Panthers grabbed a 5-0 lead later in the inning on a two-run single by freshman Sydney Tipton.

A two-run double by Morgan Thrash followed Highland's sixth error in the top of the seventh to give Ashdown a 7-0 advantage.

"We had some errors in pressure situations," Rider said. "Once a team gets a lead, they tend to relax. When you're behind, you're more susceptible to errors."

A 2004 loss to Booneville represented Ashdown's only previous appearance in a state championship game. Lady Panthers assistant coach Lynze Greathouse was a member of that Ashdown team.

"She told them before the game, 'I can't tell you what it's like to win one of these, but I can tell you what it's like to lose one,' " Cunningham said of Greathouse. "She was able to give them some perspective."

Highland advanced to the championship game in its first state playoff appearance.

"In a pressure game like this, you're going to make mistakes, but they didn't get here by a fluke," Cunningham said. "I've got to give them credit for being here. You had to do something right to get here."

Sports, Pages 43 on 05/18/2008

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