Alyssa Cordell contributed to Bentonville West's first two runs as the Lady Wolverines held off Bryant's late charge.

Bentonville West started the third inning with three consecutive singles, and Cordell was on third when Bryant tried to pick off Jazmine Dodd at second. Cordell took off for home when the ball squirted away and was tagged out, but the umpires huddled and ruled interference on Bryant catcher Meagan Chism, allowing Cordell to score.

The Lady Wolverines had a chance to add to their lead when Honesty Holt singled to right, but the umpires ruled Dodd out for failure to touch third base before coming home.

"Alyssa made a decision and got in there," Cantrell said. "I thought the catcher was up the line and on the chalk. I thought they made the right call. Then I asked Jazmine if she had missed third base, and she did."

Cordell made it a 2-0 game an inning later when she singled to drive in Endya Moler, who had hit a leadoff single. Ryen Rassi then belted a home run over the center-field fence in the fifth.

Bryant (28-5) scored in the fifth when Isabella Herring tripled past a diving Rassi in left field and came home on Regan Ryan's single. The Lady Hornets made things interesting in the seventh when Ryan and Sarah Evans singled and Chism doubled off Alex McManus, who relieved starting pitcher Emma Wood to start the inning and was seeing her first action of the season after an injury.

McManus struck out Raven Loveless, then fielded Brooklyn Trammell's grounder and threw to first to end the game.

"We were coming through the lineup for the fourth time," Cantrell said of his pitching switch. "Alex has worked to get herself back healthy, and I felt like it was the time to give it a shot if we were going to give it.

"We got through it. We survived and advanced."
