SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings: Weather affected fewer games than expected; surprises the story of the week

By Kyle Sutherland 

Mother Nature did spoil a few games last week, but we were able to play many more games than expected. A couple of major surprises occurred while others within the Super 7 continued to roll. We have hit the final week of the regular season for some teams and begin the process of shifting attention toward the postseason. 

Here are the SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings for April 18-25. 

6A

1. Bentonville (14-1)

2. Cabot (12-1)

3. Bryant (15-4)

4. Rogers (12-3)

5. North Little Rock (13-6)

6. Bentonville West (12-6)

7. Fort Smith Northside (9-9)

Outside looking in: Conway, Rogers Heritage

Analysis:

-Bentonville took care of cross-town rival West behind another solid performance in the circle from Ryann Sanders and then capped the week beating Har-Ber. The Lady Tigers had 31 hits through those two games.

-Cabot rode another great pitching performance by Akala Barnard to defeat conference foe North Little Rock but were shocked on Friday by Class 4A Valley View in a 2-1 pitcher’s duel giving the Lady Panthers their first loss of the season.

-Bryant is back on a winning streak after taking care of business in conference play defeating Conway and No. 7 Fort Smith Northside.

-Rogers fell to Benton, the state’s overall No. 1 team, on April 8 and has since won four in a row. The Lady Mounties have No. 6 West and 4A No. Farmington on the schedule this week with opportunities to gain more momentum.

-North Little Rock went 1-1 last week falling to Cabot and then rebounded to defeat Little Rock Central.

-West went 1-2 falling to top-ranked Bentonville and Class 4A No. 4 Farmington but were able to clinch a victory over conference foe Fayetteville. This week does not get any easier as the Lady Wolverines welcome No. 2 Cabot to begin the week and have a road trip to No. 3 Rogers on Thursday.

-Fort Smith Northside is on a three-game losing streak but those losses came at the hands of the second-, third-, and fifth-ranked teams. The Lady Bears have a favorable, but full, week ahead with two home games against Little Rock Central, Mount St. Mary, and arch-rival Fort Smith Southside.

5A

1. Benton (18-0)

2. Sheridan (12-4)

3. Greene County Tech (16-4-1)

4. Beebe (14-5)

5. Marion (10-6)

6. Vilonia (9-5)

7. Little Rock Christian (10-3)

Outside looking in: Van Buren, White Hall

Analysis:

-Benton once again did not skip a beat smashing Parkview in a doubleheader by a combined score of 33-0, then defeated No. 3 Greene County Tech 3-0. The Lady Panthers face a tough home stretch this week against 3A top-ranked Baptist Prep, a doubleheader with Maumelle, then finish with 6A No. 2 Cabot.

-Sheridan moves into the second spot as winners of their past nine games after beginning the week with a 27-1 win over El Dorado beginning a week in which the Lady Jackets also defeated Fordyce and Lake Hamilton

-Greene County Tech suffered its first loss this year to in-state competition in a 6-5 shocker against Batesville that was called early after the Lady Golden Eagles had defeated the Lady Pioneers in the first game 15-7. The other loss came on the road to overall No. 1 Benton. They hope to get back on track in a doubleheader with Jonesboro Tuesday.

-Beebe has won nine of its past 10 games and have a key doubleheader Tuesday with Little Rock Christian that will decide sole possession of second place in the Central behind Benton.

-Marion had its doubleheader with Paragould postponed, but defeated Wynne 8-4 in the Lady Patriots’ lone game of the week. They start a four-game week Monday against St. Benedict Auburndale followed by a doubleheader with West Memphis, both at home, and finish the week on the road at Valley View.

-Vilonia moves into the Super 7 rankings following a sweep over previously No. 6 Greenbrier and this very young, but talented team, could be heating up at the right time. We should find out quickly as the Lady Eagles face a very good White Hall team Monday and then have a huge doubleheader at Van Buren on Tuesday.

-Little Rock Christian makes its debut in the Super 7 rankings as winners of eight of its past nine. The Lady Warriors have put up a ton of offense, but do not currently have a statement win. They have three huge opportunities to change that quickly as they square off against Baptist Prep to start the week followed by a doubleheader with Beebe.

4A

1. Nashville (15-4)

2. Morrilton (14-4)

3. Stuttgart (13-2)

4. Farmington (13-4)

5. Valley View (17-3)

6. Bauxite (16-3)

7. Gravette (15-5)

Outside looking in: Malvern, Mena

Analysis:

-Nashville took care of business on the road starting with a 13-0 win over De Queen and then got revenge on Bauxite as SAU signee Maci McJunkins held the Lady Miners to just one hit and struck out 16. McJunkins also went one for three at the plate with an RBI as well as a home run in the sixth inning.

-Morrilton fell 3-1 to 3A powerhouse and top-ranked Baptist Prep but came back strong against conference foe Pottsville 9-0 thanks to clutch pitching from Taylor Berry and Layna Tilley. The Lady Devil Dogs also tallied 11 hits, three by Marly Heidenreich, and as a team stole six bases which Heidenreich also led the charge snagging three bags.

-Stuttgart has now won 11 in a row and are one of the hottest teams in Class 4A which is saying a lot considering the depth of the class. The Lady Ricebirds beat Barton and Fordyce by a combined score of 18-1 enforcing the AAA sportsmanship run rule on both teams.

-Farmington had a 3-2 setback against a good Harrison squad sandwiched between victories over Berryville and 6A No. 6 Bentonville West. First baseman/catcher Grace Boatright has continued to come through for the Lady Cards this year and she did again going 2-3 at the plate against Bentonville driving in four runs along with smacking a home run in the seventh inning.

-Valley View scored the upset of the week with a 2-1 victory over 6A No. 2 Cabot who was the final remaining undefeated team in Class 6A. Riley Smith was good in the circle going all seven innings allowing five hits and striking out three. Cabot ace Akayla Barnard also had another very good outing striking out 10 batters. However, the Lady Blazers were able to make a couple of extra plays when it mattered and earned their hands down best win of the season at this point.

-Bauxite took a step back against top-ranked Nashville in a 6-0 loss and the Lady Miners must regroup quickly with three road trips on the slate for this week to No. 2 Morrilton, Mena, and Hope.

-Gravette has now won eight of its past nine, most recently handling Pea Ridge and Berryville by a combined score of 26-2.

3A

1. Baptist Prep (16-4)

2. Lincoln (20-5)

3. Hackett (17-4)

4. Gosnell (16-3)

5. Ashdown (15-3)

6. Smackover (11-2)

7. Atkins (12-5)

Outside looking in: Booneville, Genoa Central

Analysis:

-Baptist Prep was challenged by 4A No. 2 Morrilton but was able to pull out a 3-1 victory. They hardly broke a sweat in dominating wins over Jessieville, eStem, and Lamar. The Lady Eagles start this week with a matchup down the road against a solid Little Rock Christian squad.

-Lincoln had four games scheduled but were only able to play two, and made the most of them defeating Elkins twice. Freshman phenom Brinkley Moreton was exceptional once again pitching two complete-game shutouts with 30 strikeouts. Addie Pershall was perfect at the plate going four for four with three RBIs, two singles, a double, plus an inside the park home run in the second game.

-Hackett took care of Lamar and Paris during more adversity at the hands of mother nature. The Lady Hornets will play a doubleheader against Charleston at home to get this week started followed by road trips to Ozark and Mansfield.

-Other than a setback to Trumann on April 4, Gosnell has been extremely consistent winning seven of the past eight games and look to continue that against Blytheville, Manila, and Corning.

-Ashdown notched a crucial win over Genoa Central to get the week started and finished it by shutting out Prescott 11-0. The Lady Panthers travel to Glen Rose Monday for more conference action and then face a two-game homestand with 4A No. 1 Nashville and conference foe Fouke.

-Smackover did not play this week due to weather. The Lady Buckaroos get rolling again this week with road trips to Rison, McGehee, and Dumas.

-Atkins’ showdown with a rising Booneville club was cancelled but the Lady Red Devils were able to get two wins over Lamar and Dover. Atkins has played consistently this season against a tough schedule and are hoping to continue the trend with road trips to Two Rivers and Mayflower before coming back home to face Nemo Vista.

2A

1. McCrory (18-1)

2. East Poinsett County (20-1)

3. Woodlawn (13-0)

4. Tuckerman (13-5)

5. Rector (14-1)

6. Magnet Cove (12-3)

7. Melbourne (11-3)

Outside looking in: Fordyce, Spring Hill

Analysis:

-McCrory was stunned by Pangburn in early April suffering its first loss of the year but has since bounced back and is on a four-game win streak continuing to dominate its competition. A homestand that features Manila and a doubleheader with Hazen, followed by a road trip to Marked Tree lines out the week for the Lady Jags.

-East Poinsett County remains undefeated in Class 2A play but faces its toughest test yet twice this week against Rector that will have major implications in determining the 2A-3 title.

-Woodlawn remains the only unbeaten in Class 2A following victories over Spring Hill 6-1 and Junction City 11-0. In the big victory over Junction, freshman ace pitcher Lillie-Faye McWhorter notched her first perfect game, and sixth no-hitter, striking out 14 batters and also hit a three-run walk-off home run that enforced the sportsmanship run rule at the bottom of the sixth inning.

-Tuckerman has looked like itself in the past five games following a tough slate in non-conference play. Kenzie Soden and Hannah Nicolson have been nails in the circle with Soden boasting a perfect game on her resume and Nicholson pitched a complete game shutout in an 8-0 win over Cedar Ridge last week. She also smacked a two-run homer in that game as did sophomore sensation MaKaylie Gist.

-Rector has done just about everything asked of it so far and will face one of its toughest tests yet for the 2A-3 crown against No. 2 East Poinsett County This showdown has been patiently awaited after being postponed multiple times due to rain. Shortstop Carly Robinson continues to shine for the Lady Cougs and went six for seven at the plate with three runs scored, two RBI, along with a double, triple, and five stolen bases in two games last week.

-Magnet Cove is rolling right now winning eight of its past nine but must play sharp this week beginning with games against tough 3A competition in Fouke and CAC. The Lady Panthers will end the week on the road against Class 1A No. 4 Ouachita.

-Melbourne started the year 1-3, two of those losses coming to No. 4 Tuckerman and Class 5A Nettleton but have since won ten in a row. The Lady Katz will be busy with a loaded week, including another conference matchup with Tuckerman.

1A

1. Taylor (12-2)

2. Mt. Vernon-Enola (9-3)

3. Greers Ferry Westside (9-2)

4. Ouachita (10-2)

5. Viola (10-4)

6. Shirley (8-5)

7. Izard County (8-3)

Outside looking in: Concord, Wonderview

Analysis:

-Taylor is known for great production but the Lady Tigers had their most complete game of the week defeating all three of its opponents by a combined score of 45-0 scoring 15 runs in all three games. Freshman pitcher Ayla Buford was outstanding on the week striking out 23 batters and throwing no-hitters in all three games. She had a perfect game against Emerson and Hermitage.

-Mt Vernon-Enola’s game with Quitman Monday was cancelled so the Lady Warhawks got prepared for four road trips to Nemo Vista, Wonderview, Quitman, and Clinton.

-Greers Ferry Westside won its lone game last week in a 14-2 pummeling over Concord and face a huge week starting with road games at No. 5 Viola followed by No. 6 Shirley.

-Ouachita’s winning streak is up to seven following victories over Mount Ida and a very good Fordyce team. Freshman pitcher Maddie Fulmer continues to impress as she threw a one-hitter against Mount Ida striking out 13 batters. Though she gave up nine hits against Fordyce she was able to strike out 12.

-Viola had its back against the wall coming into the week after falling to Greers Ferry Westside and then losing to Izard County but bounced back sweeping Norfork in a doubleheader by a combined 37-0, then emerged victorious in a 2-1 pitcher’s duel against Shirley. Lady Longhorns’ ace Haylee Crotts pitched a gem against Shirley giving up just one run on six hits and struck out four batters while only walking one.

-Shirley came into the week confident riding a two-game win streak and had a dominating performance in a 9-0 win over Calico Rock led by ace pitcher Hunter Hutto who struck out 11 batters and gave up just two hits. The Lady Blue Devils came up just shy falling 2-1 in a make-up game with Viola on Friday but have three big opportunities to bounce back for the final week of the season with games against Calico Rock, Concord, and No. 3 Greers Ferry Westside.

-Izard County makes its debut in the Class 1A Super 7 following an 8-7 statement win over Viola on Tuesday. The Lady Cougars registered 12 hits in that contest led by Quinn Johnson and McKenzie Yancey who both went three for four at the plate. More big opportunities ahead against Calico Rock and Concord to start the week.