Siloam Springs players and coaches mobbed one another in front of their home dugout Thursday with smiles on their faces and some with tears in their eyes.
Some nights can last forever.
The Siloam Springs softball team scored a season-high 20 runs and needed every one of them to pick up its first win of the season Thursday 20-16 against Greenland at La-Z-Boy Park.
"I tell you what, it just feels great for these kids," said SSHS softball coach Scott Wright. "It's always tough when you're trying to improve and get better in certain positions where you've really got to have it. When you're working through that in a season, it can really be tough. To get a win like this can be a really great feeling."
The Lady Panthers (1-13) rallied with big innings on three different occasions, including scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 20-15 lead.
Greenland scored a run to get within 20-16 and had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the seventh when Kalliyah Hart hit a pop fly over the pitcher's circle.
Siloam Springs senior Kenlie Noel made a reaching catch to snag the fly ball and flipped to third baseman Aliyah Hilbish for the Lady Panthers' third double play of the game and the final out to set off a game-ending celebration that would have rivaled winning a state championship.
"It just kind of went back and forth, and then we busted it open there in the bottom of the sixth and hung on there with a couple of great plays in the top of the seventh to get the win," Wright said.
Greenland led 4-0 after scoring four runs in the second inning, but Siloam Springs answered with five runs to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second.
Hilbish and Maggie Torres each reached on base hits and scored on Greenland errors. Tyler King, Chloe Rocha and Aislyn Burchette also reached to load the bases, and Noel just missed a grand slam when her fly ball to left went over the fence but just foul by a few feet. Noel had to settle for a ringing double to tie the game 4-4, and Burchette scored to make it 5-4.
Greenland scored six runs in the third inning to go up 10-5 and the Lady Pirates added another run in the fourth to make it 11-5.
Siloam Springs plated eight more runs in the fourth to go up 13-11.
Noel doubled and Boyster singled, followed by a double from Micah Curry and base hits from Hilbish and Torres and King. Burchette launched a two-run double and Noel reached on an error to keep the inning alive.
Boyster just missed a home run when her ball banged off the top of the left field fence, as the Lady Panthers took a 12-11 lead.
Greenland pulled within 13-12 in the top of the fifth and took a 15-13 lead in the top of the sixth inning.
The Lady Panthers got their bats going again though in the bottom of the inning.
Burchette singled and Noel walked to set up Boyster, who doubled to make it 15-14. Jadyn Still singled to tie the game and Curry and Hilbish both walked to load the bases.
Burchette reached on an error when Greenland's pitcher and second baseman collided to keep an inning alive, and Noel laced a two-run double to make it 20-15.
"We thought we'd had a pretty good shot when it got down to the end, and we kept battling," Wright said. "We got down there 11-5 and then we fought back and took the lead. ... Everybody did their part. We had people coming off the bench. It was a total team effort. I'm really proud of them. I'm proud for them. I hope they can go and enjoy this tonight."
Noel was the winning pitcher for Siloam Springs. Noel, Burchette and Boyster each had three hits, while Hilbish, Torres and King each had two hits.
Alma 17, Siloam Springs 0
The Airedalettes plated 11 runs in the first inning on their way to a run-rule victory in three innings against the Lady Panthers on Tuesday at La-Z-Boy Park.
Up next
The Lady Panthers play their final home game of the season at 5 p.m. Tuesday against Greenwood for Senior Night.
Sports on 04/22/2018