Houston, there is no problem: Benton pitcher uses overnight weather delay to regroup and stage comeback win over Greene County Tech for Arkansas 5A softball crown

By Kyle Sutherland | Photos by Ted McClenning

BENTON – All Alyssa Houston needed was a timeout. She got one – to the tune of 17 hours. 

Before severe weather moved into the area Saturday night, her vaunted Benton squad trailed Greene County Tech 2-1 in the Class 5A state championship game, and she was in a big jam with runners on first and second with only one out.

However, after a night to sleep on it and meditate, Houston came back strong when the game resumed Sunday afternoon and rescued her team from a major upset as the Lady Panthers won the game 3-2 on their home field at Everett Field.

Houston struck out Greene County Tech’s Brielle Sage on a full count in the fifth inning Saturday night. Immediately after that, the game was delayed and postponed around 9:30 p.m.

The initial delay began at 8:18 and Houston went into the stands where her family was sitting, along with her pitching coach. She had relieved Elana Scott at the top of the fourth inning and though she pitched well fanning four batters in one and one-third innings, but she did not feel that she was throwing at her best. However, those closest to her gave a simple reminder to just get back to the basics.

“I knew my pitching coach was sitting up there, and I said you have to help me, I don’t feel like I am pitching as fast and I just asked what I need [to do],” Houston said. “She told me that I just need to do what she tells me every single time at lessons – ‘Keep your head down, breathe, and relax. Get in a zone where it is just like you’re playing in the backyard and set a scene for yourself that is just very relaxing.’

My family always supports me and when I went up there, I just thought you know what, they are here to see me so why am I so stressed? Just have fun.”

Houston, who had two home runs in the Lady Panthers state championship victory over Greenwood in 2021, mentioned that the simple, but meaningful pep talk, was all she needed and woke up feeling confident about finishing the final two and two-thirds innings.

When the game resumed, Houston made her way to the circle and struck out the next two batters to get out of the fifth with GCT leaving two on. She punched out three more in her stint, ending the game with 10 total in four innings allowing no hits and was named the state finals Most Valuable Player.

“Since we had that refresher [I felt] that we would be able to play at our best,” Houston said. “We came in today, and we worked. Whenever we came back, we said that we were going to make it a better morning. We had a great devotional. and it just really seemed to be calm and relaxed but a very playful and joyous day.”

Benton (32-0) had six hits to GCT’s three at the time the postponement Saturday night but were only able to manage one run as GCT had taken advantage of some Lady Panther errors while also getting good contact on the ball.

A GCT error in the bottom of the fifth with two runners on scored Elana Scott to tie the game and then Gracie Redmon singled down the left field line with two outs scoring Mallory Crosby, who was a courtesy runner for Riley Gilmore, as Benton took the lead for the first time 3-2.

GCT (27-5-1) threatened one more time in the sixth putting runners on first and second for the second consecutive inning, but Houston refused to allow anything more, striking out Zoie Reynolds on a 2-2 count to get out of the inning.

“Her presence and her emotions on the mound just stay the same,” Benton head coach Heidi Cox said of Houston. “You don’t know if she is having a bad inning or a great inning. She just handles herself with class and the girls are confident behind her. It was a big [fifth] inning to get out of that inning with one out and two baserunners. I think that right there set the tone and we were ready to do something at the plate. I am super excited for her and she deserved the MVP.”

This is the Lady Panthers’ second straight state championship and fifth in school history. The win Sunday marks the 63rd straight victory for Benton, who is ranked in the Top 10 in at least one national poll.

Other than 2020 when COVID-19 cut the season short, this senior class has been immensely successful finishing no worse than state semifinalists in four years.

“These eight seniors have been tremendous since their freshman year,” Cox said. “Five of them have been in the lineup since then and this is going to be a hard group to lose. They have set some records and what a legacy they have built for us. It’s awesome.”

Houston, Redmon, Shelby Samples, and Lydia Bethards all recorded multiple hits for the Lady Panthers.