For Arkansas High, it just wasn't its night on the softball diamond.
Lake Hamilton set the tone early, as it scored seven runs in the first inning, and kept the Lady Backs scoreless through out in a 12-0 conference-opening win on Thursday at Bramlett Field in Spring Lake Park.
The game was called after the sixth inning.
Arkansas High pitcher Kaitlyn Fortenberry struggled during the first, giving up five hits-including two doubles and a triple-and two walks, and the defense had trouble keeping runners off the base.
"We just didn't make routine plays today," Arkansas High head coach Elizabeth Tankersley said. "That was one of our goals coming into the game-making the right plays. Do I still think we could have gone toe-to-toe with them? Absolutely."
Arkansas High's Jordan Stanley finished with two singles-the only hits off winning pitcher Annalee Diehl.
Despite the first-inning woes, the Lady Backs played Lake Hamilton evenly for the next four innings, before the Lady Wolves would end the game on a five-run barrage to end the game early on the run-rule.
Fortenberry calmed down in the second and third innings, pitching back-to-back three-up, three-downs with two strikeouts on just 20 pitches.
During that stretch, the Lady Back hurler made a diving catch for an out and nabbed a short hopper for a force out at first. She finished the game allowing 15 hits and had four strikeouts on 105 pitches.
The next, and final inning, however, didn't go their way.
The Lady Wolves loaded the bases in the sixth with two singles, a walk, and an error. With the fourth batter up, Lake Hamilton's Jessye Rowland drilled a shot that nailed Fortenberry on her non-pitching arm. A run scored and the umpires immediately called a timeout.
"She took a pretty good shot on her glove arm," Tankersley said. "But with a week off and Spring Break coming, she should be ready to go."
Fortenberry battled through the pain and stayed in the game, and with bases loaded once again, she forced a ground ball for a fielder's choice to second, but another run scored. After allowing a single and another run, Fortenberry got the next batter to full count, but Lake Hamilton's Natalie Rogers drilled a two-run double.
Arkansas High would commit its second error of the inning to help the Lady Wolves score their last run.
The Lady Backs hit three groundouts to end the game in bottom of the sixth.
"We have to do a better job at taking care of the ball offensively and defensively, and that's just not what we are doing right now," Tankersley said. "We have (Hot Springs) Lakeside up next, and I hear they have a pretty good freshman pitcher. We will have to do better."
After taking a school break, Arkansas High will host Hot Springs Lakeside on Tuesday, March 27, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.
Lake Hamilton 700 005 - 12 15 0
Arkansas High 000 000 - 0 2 2
Annalee Diehl, Kenley Spruill (5) and Hailee Quilici. Kaitlyn Fortenberry and Katie Burns. WP-Diehl. LP-Fortenberry.