Class 4A Arkansas softball final: Gravette Lady Lions 'Handle' Pea Ridge to win first state title

By Kyle Sutherland  

CONWAY - No team in Class 4A has been better at the plate than the Gravette Lady Lions. 

They hit over .400 as a team this spring, but it was a combined one-hitter from Sydney Kildow and Brooke Handle in the circle that led to the program's first ever state title in Friday's 5-1 win over 4A-1 foe Pea Ridge at Farris Field on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.

"Finally," Gravette head coach Samantha Luther said breathing a sigh of relief. "It feels amazing"

Kildow got the start and pitched the first three innings, striking out two batters and allowed Pea Ridge's lone run, albeit unearned. Handle came in relief at the top of the fourth and struck out four batters to earn both the win, as well as the Most Valuable Player. 

Coming into Friday, Gravette had already defeated Pea Ridge three previous times this season and they made sure to keep their eyes forward.

"We talked about how we knew the pressure was on us," Handle said. "They had nothing to lose and we had everything to lose. We all did some things to relax and just got along really well which helped us."

Handle has proven her toughness over the back half of the season after suffering a scary injury against Fayetteville on April 10 when she broke her jaw. Whether it was the adrenaline of being a champion or just the standard healing process, Handle had her focus elsewhere.

"I feel great even though it was getting a little sore cheering and screaming in the dugout, but I just pushed through," she said. "I am not even thinking about it."

With Handle's injury there was not much choice to have Kildow throw more innings, but Luther saw the positives of utilizing them both.

"We were forced to do it once Brooke took the throw to the face and Sydney really gained that confidence," Luther said. "We needed her to gain that confidence in herself. I set them both aside and told them if we can use both of them it will keep batters off balance."

Pea Ridge put the game's first run on the board in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single by Emory Bowlin that scored Hope Konkler. That was the first and only hit of the game recorded by the Lady Blackhawks.

That sparked a fire under Gravette's powerful lineup, particularly in the No. 7 and No. 8 holes, and a leadoff triple by Trinity Burnett got the Lady Lions in immediate scoring position. On the next at-bat, Bentley Lowden smacked a two-run bomb over the left field wall for the go-ahead run. 

"We (the back of the lineup) were told by the top of the lineup that the pitches were inside and we just mentally prepared for that," Burnett said.

The scoring continued for Gravette in the fourth as the Lady Lions added three additional runs, first on a two-run double that scored Kildow and Kelsey Pembleton. On the next at-bat, Drew Madison's RBI-single sent Paige Greer across the plate. 

Burnett, Lowden, and Pembleton each went 2-for-3 to lead Gravette.

Emory Bowlin has been one of the state's top pitchers all season, but Gravette won most of the battles notching eight hits off of her, while three of the Lady Lions' five runs were earned. 

On top of playing in the rugged 4A-1 with the likes of Pea Ridge as well as Farmington, Gravette made it a point to schedule as tough as possible this season. They defeated 6A semifinalist Rogers along with Conway, and squared off against Bentonville and Bentonville West which were the only two losses.

"Last year ending the season against Stuttgart (a 1-0 extra innings loss in the state quarterfinals) we felt that we needed to see stronger pitching," Luther said. "We do have great pitching, but there is great softball all around us with Bentonville, Bentonville West, and Rogers so we made sure to schedule those teams so that when we got to the postseason we would not struggle with that again."

Even though Pea Ridge did score first, the only baserunners from that point on was via walks in the fourth and seventh innings. 

"Today was just one of those days where everything we hit hard was right at them and they were able to make the plays," Pea Ridge head coach Josh Reynolds said. "We talked about not letting what happened today define the success over the course of the year. 

"To the ones returning, we issued the challenge of getting us back here."