Wynne wins the championship in 9 innings over Watson Chapel 1-0
My baby hit a single with bases loaded in the top of the 9th to push accros L.B. Ray for the 1-0 win.
Wynne opened up with a 8-4 win over Mount Saint Marys followed by a 2-1 win over Searcy to set up the showdown with WC. it was a pitchers duel to the end. I think Ashley Ray for wynne had 10 or 11 strikeouts for the game.
Beebe beat Paragould 5-0 for the 3rd place game, so the 5A East went 1st 3rd and 4th in the tourny!!!

That's great news. It seems the players are pulling together and salvaging what they can after a bad start to the season. Just in time, too.

Scott, ya'll coming down ? or practicing at EPC? think chey got it set up with morgan for 2:30.

we'll be there, no matter , either-way

I'd like to but today's my b-day and we (well Stacy) made a few plans.

EPC practicing? They haven't had practice in 3 weeks.

Championship pic @ Batesville Pioneer Classic 4-5-08




Wynnes 2 seniors..Bethany Williams (1B) and Ashley Ray (P)

Great article from Batesville Daily Guard

Published: Monday, April 7, 2008
The Wynne Lady Yellowjackets won the Jim Buchanan State Farm Lady Pioneer Classic here Saturday night with a dramatic 1-0, extra-inning victory over the Watson Chapel Lady Wildcats.

Some slightly larger number combinations are what really turned heads, however.

The Lady ’Jackets came into the tournament with a record of 1-6. They defeated the Mount St. Mary Belles 6-4 in the first round, then downed the Searcy Lions 2-1 in the semifinal.

The Belles came to Batesville with a 2-0 record. The Lady Lions were 8-4. The Lady Wildcats were 7-1.

The Lady Yellowjackets’ coach admitted that she, too, was surprised.

“No,” Debbie Stepp said when asked if she ever imagined the Lady Yellowjackets would make it to the title game. “Coming in here 1-6, we were definitely underdogs. You believe you will win, but at 1-6 you have to be realistic. Also, this group had never played together in a tournament before. We needed something good to happen and it did.”

A lot of good things have happened in Wynne’s softball program in recent years. The Lady ’Jackets won 20-plus games each of the previous three seasons and shared the 5A-East District with the Beebe Lady Badgers last spring. Most of the Lady ’Jackets involved in the previous three seasons graduated last spring. Eight starters graduated last spring.

Ashley Ray, a third baseman-turned-pitcher, is the one returning starter. Her battermate is L.B. Ray, her little sister, and one of the five freshmen starting for Wynne. The others are third baseman Latisha Jones, second baseman Murray Lace, left fielder Katelyn Champion and designated hitter Jessica Cothren.

Ashley Ray scattered nine hits while striking out six in the victory over Mount St. Mary. The veteran also came up big at the plate, providing two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs. Lace and L.B. Ray added two hits. Lace tripled and drove in two runs.

In the 1-run victory over Searcy, Ray gave up just five hits and, again, provided two hits. The first one drove in her little sister, who had walked in the first inning and moved to second on Morgan Baldwin’s bunt single.

Ray’s second hit came in the fifth and it was the winner. Her 2-out triple drove in Baldwin, who had singled.

In the title game, the Henderson State signee stepped it up another notch, or maybe two.

On the mound, she fanned 10 and walked none while scattering five hits over nine innings, countering Kristen Johnson, Chapel’s ace and a University of Central Arkansas signee. Johnson struck out 13, walked none and hit one batter while giving up just four hits.

The elder Ray provided two of those hits, one in the ninth when she grounded to the left side and Chapel’s shortstop came up firing to home, but the runner wasn’t breaking for home, and Ray then alertly ran to second when the catcher chose not to throw to second.

Little sister was the runner at third. She began the inning at second, according to the international tiebreaker rule, and ran to third when Baldwin, leading off the ninth, sacrifice bunted. The bases became loaded when Jones bunted safely, then the younger Ray scored when senior Bethany Williams bunted to the right side and Ray beat first baseman Laura Dial’s throw home.

In the Watson Chapel ninth, Alex Taliaferro started on second, ran to third on Ray’s wild pitch, but was shot down at the plate by Williams’ throw and L.B. Ray’s tag when Johnston tried to bunt her home. Karella Balentine, running for Johnson, was erased when Tara Branch grounded to shortstop Baldwin. Baldwin also recorded the next and final put out, forcing Branch on Jade Gibson grounder.

The Lady Yellowjackets’ biggest improvement happened in the field, their coach said.

“I saw a competitiveness and focus I haven’t seen before. We had some kids who really grew up,” Stepp said.

Watson Chapel Coach Bobby Hyatt wouldn’t argue.

“We kept putting pressure on them, bunting and slapping the ball around, and they just ate everything up,” he said. “It was the best ballgame we’ve been in this season, by far.”