FAYETTEVILLE -- Cabot Coach Chris Cope was in a position to second-guess himself when he told Grace Neal to stay at third base instead of trying to score the tying run.
Jaden Potter was not going to let that happen Friday afternoon.
The senior catcher delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning to give Cabot the lead, and the Lady Panthers went on to win the Class 6A state softball championship with a 5-3 victory over Bentonville at Bogle Park to deny the Lady Tigers their fourth consecutive championship.
"You have to take a chance," Cope said. "You don't want to get the final out to get thrown out at home, and I've done it several times this year. You have to have faith in your hitters, and we had some good hitters coming up at the time. It paid off.
"You couldn't have a better kid up there for that moment -- a senior in the last game of her career. I wouldn't have anybody else in that position."
Cabot (24-5) batted around and rallied for four runs in the sixth -- all with two outs -- after Bentonville (20-8) had taken a 3-1 lead on Emily Perry's bases-clearing double in the fifth.
Riley Walthall, who celebrated her birthday by being named the game's MVP, belted a double off the left-field wall, and she was still there one out later. Bentonville Coach Kent Early elected to intentionally walk Grace Neal, who had doubled and scored Cabot's run in the first inning.
"She wrist-flipped one earlier," Early said. "She's the best hitter on their team. She has 12 home runs and batting around .450. The two kids behind her we had struck out twice, so we were playing the percentages."
Cabot foiled that strategy as Layne Smith singled to drive in Walthall to make it a 3-2 game. Halley Gamewell followed that with a single to left field, but that's when Cope elected to hold up Smith at third and leave the bases loaded.
Potter then ripped a 1-0 pitch from Cailey Cochran into center field as Neal scored easily and Smith slid safely into home just ahead of the throw.
"I was just thinking to forget about the previous at-bats and just hit the ball," Potter said. "Whatever I could do to help the team. The pitch was very low, but I like them low."
Savannah Snow provided Cabot an insurance run when her double off the center-field wall drove in Gamewell for the 5-3 advantage.
Cabot pitcher Sami Romano made that lead stand despite allowing a leadoff single by Cochran in the sixth and a one-out single by Morgan Nelson in the seventh. The senior right-hander allowed seven hits and held Bentonville in check until the fifth, when an error and singles by Jenna Wildeman and Nelson set up Perry's big hit.
Cochran, one of four Bentonville seniors who were denied their fourth state championship ring, allowed eight hits and struck out 11 in a 131-pitch outing. The other three seniors are center fielder Jenna Wildeman, first baseman and pitcher Morgan Nelson, as well as right fielder and first baseman Megan Crownover.
Sports on 05/18/2019