Life of Riley: Sophomore pitcher Riley Smith helps lift Valley View to first softball state title

By Buck Ringgold | Photos by Tommy Land  

BENTON — In the first inning of Friday’s Class 4A softball championship game, Valley View sophomore pitcher Riley Smith hit a rough patch.

Smith was touched up for a run, albeit unearned, and toiled for 24 pitches against a powerful Nashville offense.

From the second inning on, though, Smith was virtually untouchable. She gave up just one hit the rest of the way, while the Blazers’ offense had a couple of two-out RBI singles as Valley View went on to claim its first softball title, 2-1, at the Benton Athletic Complex.

“(She had to) get back to what she does,” Valley View coach BJ Zipfel said of Smith. “None of what happened (in the first inning) was any of her doing, so instead of worrying about it and saying, ‘I’m going to do extra,’ she just settled down and said, ‘I’m going to do my part; my teammates have got my back and they’re going to,’ and they did.”

Smith retired the side in order over the second and third innings. She also retired the final 10 batters faced as Smith ended up throwing 86 total pitches, striking out three.

“Basically, I was out here and I was just making sure I hit my spots, trying to correct anything that I think I did wrong,” said Smith, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. 

“I pretty much studied the batters, saw what they hit and then we didn’t throw that to them or I fixed what I threw. I made my body language better and made my spins better; I pretty much just fixed it.”

In addition, Smith got tremendous help from her defense, especially the final two innings. Three Nashville batters hit balls where Valley View defenders had to make full extension to catch.

That included shortstop Adrianna Winkfield, who made a leaping grab of a ball hit by the Scrapperettes’ Emma Hutchison to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Third baseman Caroline Prestidge then caught a liner for the second out, while left fielder Lauren Mitchell made a running catch in foul territory for the final out.

“Most of them were good, solid hits,” Nashville coach Boomer Brown said. “All the credit to them. They played great defense and it was hit to them, they capitalized on it.

“We’ve had our share of double-digit runs and all, and really, I’ve got to give credit their pitcher for keeping us off-balance because we’ve been hot the last month and a half of play. We just couldn’t find where they were (Friday).”

Brown got her run support starting in the top of the second.

With two out, Sophie Newberry doubled to left. The next batter, Grace Butler, hit a flare into shallow center to bring in Newberry, tying the score at 1-all.

Valley View performed a similar feat the following inning. Likewise, with two out, the Blazers rallied.

Lexi Davis, the team’s catcher, hit a ball that went up the alley in right center. She was able to make it to third just ahead of the throw to complete the triple, and Davis scored on a bloop single on the left side from Winkfield.

“She can run and she’s a smart baserunner,” Zipfel said of Davis’ triple. “At the same time, you never know if runs are going to come in bunches or one at a time or two at a time or whatever, but I thought, this may be our shot and I’m going to take it."

Winkfield's hit gave Valley View a 2-1 lead, which stood for the rest of the game as Smith settled in.

It was also the first state title for Valley View (25-5). Smith remarked that her older sister Montana played on the Lady Blazers’ team five years ago that lost to DeQueen for the 5A championship.

“She’s always given me advice my whole life, to build me up to this point,” Riley Smith said.

Nashville began the bottom of the first with a single from lead-off batter Ashley Chambers, who went to second on a passed ball and eventually scored on an error.

But Smith settled in from there, keeping a strong Nashville offense in check. It was also a tough way for the season to end for the Scrapperettes (26-5), who started seven seniors in their lineup.

“They’re phenomenal people, not only as softball players but as individuals. … I hate it that we couldn’t get it done for them, for all they’ve done with this program,” Brown said. “I think they were 86-13 and that was with a COVID year."

One of those seniors, pitcher and Southern Arkansas commit Maci McJunkins, threw 99 pitches, giving up two earned runs on seven hits, striking out seven.

Butler went 2-for-3 for Valley View.