On Northside’s Senior Night, it was a freshman who gave the Lady Bears a win.

Down to her last strike, Entrekin hit a double to deep left which scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, lifting Northside to a 6-5 win against Southside Friday at Grizzly Field.

“I was going up there and I was just thinking don’t mess up,” Entrekin said. “I knew it was a lot of pressure and I knew it would mean a lot for the seniors to have a win against Southside on Senior Night, so I was just trying to make my team proud and go up there and have fun.

“It wasn’t the end of the world if we lost, but (the win) was real icing on the cake.”

Trailing the Mavericks 5-4, Northside (7-11, 5-9 7A-Central) had loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth. Southside got a double play on a fly ball to left, with left fielder Cailin Massey making a diving catch before throwing to home to get the lead runner out.

That brought up Entrekin, who fouled off the first two pitches before getting a ball.

On the next pitch, Entrekin hit a soaring drive to left that Massey nearly caught, but the ball landed in the outfield grass, allowing seniors Jaleyia Perry and Diona Perkins to score the walk-off runs.

“I just feel like it’s a great way to end the (regular) season as a senior, getting the final win (at home) against Southside. ... I had faith in Hannah that she could hit the ball and get us going again,” Perkins said.

Northside 6, Southside 5 (8)

Southside 000 220 01 — 5 6 3

Northside 011 000 22 — 6 17 2

Hunter and Conklin; Green and Ray. W — Green. L — Hunter. HRs — None.

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More high school softball

Entrekin had saved the game earlier, making a catch right against the wall in deep fence to end the top of the seventh, keeping the Mavs from scoring at least one run.


At that point, Southside led 4-2. But in the bottom of the seventh, Northside loaded the bases.

Then with one out, Lady Bear senior pitcher Sydney Green brought one in with an RBI single. Maddy Worden then tied the score at 4-all on a sacrifice fly hit to right, and the game soon went into extra innings.

Southside (13-12, 6-8) went up 5-4 when Madi Conklin, placed on second to start the inning as part of the International Tie Breaker (ITB) rule, eventually scored on a passed ball.

But Northside once again found a way, and this time found a way to pull out the win.

“We had four errors in this game, two in the outfield and two on the bases and which they capitalized on, and we left quite a few girls stranded on the bases a few innings,” Northside coach Kelly Nickell said. “But this is their Senior Night and they found a way. ... One inning, one out, last strike, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Entrekin also had the most hits for the Lady Bears on Friday, going 3-for-5.

“Hannah came out of her shell as a freshman and saved the game for us, defensively and offensively,” Nickell said. “She is an amazing asset to our team and she has never acted like a freshman; she has come in and has owned her own confidence.”


Worden, Green, Perry, Chloe Ray, Meegan Jones and senior Olivia Williams also had two hits apiece. Green threw an eight-inning complete game, giving up four runs on six hits, striking out seven.

Southside’s Piper Morgan went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, including a two-run double in the fifth to break a 2-all score, giving the Mavs a 4-2 lead. Senior Hailey Hogue had Southside’s other RBI, on a single in the fourth to cap a two-run inning after the Lady Bears took an early 2-0 lead.

Freshman pitcher Meliah Hunter struck out four in her complete-game outing for the Mavs.

The loss doesn’t affect Southside’s seeding for next week’s 7A State Tournament, as the Mavs were already assured of the No. 5 seed.

Southside will play at 3 p.m. Thursday in Cabot against the No. 4 seed from the 7A-West.

Likewise, the Lady Bears were already assured of the No. 6 seed from the 7A-Central.

Northside will play its opening-round game at state at 12:30 p.m. Thursday against the No. 3 seed from the 7A-West.


