SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings (May 2)

Regional tournaments start this week for Class 1A-4A

By Kyle Sutherland | Photo by Jimmy Jones 

May has arrived which means there is just a few more weeks left in the 2023 season. Class 5 and 6A wrap up regular season play this week, while regional tournaments across Class 1A-4A get started.

Every top-ranked team held on to their spot, though there were a couple who suffered defeats in their respective district tournaments. 

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Visit the SBLive Arkansas website to stay up to date on all of the regional tournament brackets. 

6A 

1. Bentonville (26-1)

2. Cabot (19-1)

3. Rogers (24-4)

4. Har-Ber (12-5)

5. Bryant (17-7)

6. Bentonville West (15-11)

7. North Little Rock (9-9)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Conway, Rogers Heritage

Bentonville: After escaping a couple of close contests last week, the Lady Tigers left no doubt shutting out three of their four opponents and claimed the West championship with a 9-1 rout of Rogers.

Cabot: Benton squashed all hopes of Cabot finishing undefeated, but all of the long-term goals are still reachable starting with an undisputed Central title. They created more separation at the top of the standings after taking down Bryant for the second time.

Rogers: They got their redemption over Har-Ber and then edged Fort Smith Southside, but were not able to keep up with top-ranked Bentonville. The Lady Mounties aim to lock up the West two seed with matchups against Springdale and Rogers Heritage this week.

Har-Ber: Rogers was ready this time around and handed the Lady Wildcats their second consecutive loss, but Har-Ber ended the week on a positive note with a dominant shutout win over Rogers Heritage.

Bryant: Despite coming out on the short end, the matchup against No. 2 Cabot had no shortage of fireworks as the contest featured seven combined home runs - three from Bryant - but Cabot rallied from down five runs after two innings to win 9-8.

Bentonville West: Head coach Anthony Cantrell felt like the best times for this year’s squad could be during the back half of the season and they have proven him right as winners of seven of the past eight games. Tough tests against No. 1 Bentonville and No. 4 Har-Ber loom to close out the regular season.

North Little Rock: A late rally came up short against No. 5 Bryant in the Lady Charging Wildcats’ only contest of the week. They get another shot at the Lady Hornets on Tuesday before closing out the regular season against No. 2 Cabot on Friday.

5A

1. Van Buren (23-2)

2. Benton (20-4)

3. Greene County Tech (18-5)

4. Beebe (23-3)

5. Greenwood (17-8)

6. Harrison (19-6)

7. Marion (20-6)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Sheridan, Searcy, Valley View

Van Buren: The Lady Pointers clinched their second consecutive 5A-West championship following a sweep of Siloam Springs which put their current win streak at 10 games. They close out the regular season with a doubleheader against Russellville on Tuesday.

Benton: The Lady Panthers move up to No. 2 after earning their best win of the season thus far in a 4-2 victory over No. 2 Cabot before posting back-to-back shutouts against Pine Bluff. They close out the regular season with two games against Sheridan in hopes of wrapping up the 5A-South.

Greene County Tech: A walk-off loss to Searcy snapped an eight-game win streak for the Lady Eagles, but they earned redemption in the second game of the doubleheader with a walk-off of their own before routing Jonesboro to finish the week. A crucial 5A-East doubleheader with No. 7 Marion looms Tuesday.

Beebe: Head coach Sara Flenor eclipsed 200 wins last week and the Lady Badgers got this week started with a bang winning their 16th consecutive contest after taking down 2A No. 6 Mount Vernon-Enola. 

Greenwood: The Lady Bulldogs responded by being shutout by dishing out two of their own in a doubleheader with Alma before getting past Fort Smith Northside 3-1. They will finish the regular season with a conference doubleheader against Greenbrier before closing it out at top-ranked Bentonville.

Harrison: Excluding getting swept by top-ranked Van Buren, the Lady Goblins have taken care of their business since Kyle Wood took over as head coach winning six of eight contests. They close out the regular season Tuesday against Siloam Springs.

Marion: This squad has won seven consecutive contests after getting past Covington (Tenn.) and they now shift their focus to a doubleheader with No. 3 Greene County Tech on Tuesday that could end up deciding the 5A-East champion.

4A

1. Gravette (17-2)

2. Pea Ridge (16-9)

3. Farmington (18-2)

4. Bauxite (21-5)

5. Malvern (17-4)

6. Monticello (21-1)

7. Ashdown (15-5)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Mena, Morrilton, Nashville

Gravette: After handling its business all season in Class 4A, Gravette wrapped up the 4A-1 district championship with an 8-5 win over Pea Ridge as they now set their sights on a 4A-North regional which they will host.

Pea Ridge: A rematch with Farmington in the 4A-1 district tournament went the Lady Blackhawks’ way this time around, but they fell to top-ranked Gravette in the finals. Watch out for this squad as they have been battle tested as much as anyone in Class 4A.

Farmington: Craziness continues in the 4A-1. The Lady Cardinals were not able to keep up with Pea Ridge offensively in the district semifinals, but took down Gentry to earn the No. 3 seed in the 4A-North Regional.

Bauxite: Year one playing in the 4A-5 was a success for the Lady Miners as they wrapped up the district championship with a lopsided shutout win over Clinton. 

Malvern: The Lady Leopards clicked on all cylinders during the final week of the regular season and clinched the 4A-7 championship. They head into the 4A-South Regional on a five-game win streak.

Monticello: After letting one get away against Stuttgart the first time around, the Lady Billies got their payback and took the 4A-8 championship along the way. They are hungry to make it to the state tournament after not getting out of regionals last year. 

Ashdown: Coming off back-to-back losses, the Lady Panthers rebounded strong with wins over De Queen and a redemption victory over Nashville to finish as the runner-up in the 4A-7. 

3A

1. Atkins (19-6)

2. Mayflower (22-3)

3. Hackett (18-3)

4. Lincoln (23-8)

5. Genoa Central (20-6)

6. Baptist Prep (14-8)

7. Tuckerman (18-7)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Harding Academy, Melbourne, Lamar

Atkins: If you were not aware of the madness - as well as overall depth - of the 3A-5, the Lady Devils’ semifinal loss to a solid Lamar squad is a quick example. They took care of Class 4A Clarksville 6-1 on Monday and will play Harding Academy to begin regionals.

Mayflower: Mayflower defeated Baptist Prep by a run on April 19 and Baptist Prep returned the favor by edging them by a run in Friday’s semifinals of the 3A-5 district tournament. A non-conference matchup against 1A No. 3 Midland looms Tuesday before Pangburn in regionals.

Hackett: The Lady Hornets completed an undefeated run through the 3A-4 following dominant wins over Cossatot River and Booneville and have shifted all focus to Flippin, their first round opponent in regionals.

Lincoln: After earning the 3A-1 championship for the second consecutive season, the Lady Wolves are feeling as confident as any team in Class 3A winning 15 of their past 16 contests. They take on Cossatot River in the first round of regionals.

Genoa Central: It was not easy, but it is all about surviving and advancing which is what the Lady Dragons did defeating Prescott and Fouke each by a run to claim the 3A-7 district championship. 

Baptist Prep: It was a safe bet the Lady Eagles would not be down long coming into the week having lost three of their past six games. They got things turned around to go 3-0 on the week ending with a 3A-5 district tournament championship.

Tuckerman: At the beginning of April it was not looking too promising for the Lady Bulldogs. Flip to May and they are now heading into regionals on a nine-game win streak after shutting out Melbourne to win the 3A-2 district title. 

2A

1. East Poinsett County (24-5)

2. Riverside (17-4)

3. Woodlawn (15-7)

4. Mansfield (23-3)

5. Mount Vernon-Enola (16-4)

6. Magnet Cove (14-6)

7. McCrory (18-3)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: CAC, Lavaca, Quitman

East Poinsett County: Riverside bested the Lady Warriors for the first time in the fourth meeting of this season in the 2A-3 district finals, but EPC bounced back to take down Gosnell 6-4 on Monday. They'll face Wynne, whom they fell to in March's Bearcat Blast, on Tuesday before starting regionals. 

Riverside: They had been close in two of the previous three meetings, but the Lady Rebels got over the hump and beat EPC to claim the 2A-3 district title. Both of their tournament wins were 1-0 led by complete games via sophomore Klaire Womack, who struck out 29 total batters.

Woodlawn: Region 8 has arguably been the deepest in 2A this season and the Lady Bears came out on top as the conference champions. They will take on Hamburg on Tuesday for senior night before beginning South Regional play. 

Mansfield: Could not have asked for a much better week from the Lady Tigers who pitched shutouts in two of three contests, then finished it with a 4-1 win over Lavaca in the 2A-4 district finals. They have not lost since March 14.

Mount Vernon-Enola: The Lady Warhawks took down Cedar Ridge for the third time in as many consecutive games during the semifinals of the 2A-2 district tournament before routing Izard County 13-2 in the championship round. 

Magnet Cove: A three-game skid coming into the week turned into a two-game win streak on Monday that won the Lady Panthers the 2A-5 district championship over CAC. 

McCrory: A three-game skid at the Harrison Tournament in late March is now a distant memory as the Lady Jags have won 12 consecutive contests and wrapped up the 2A-6 championship with an 11-0 record in league play.

1A

1. Bradley (21-6)

2. Taylor (17-4-1)

3. Midland (18-4)

4. Wonderview (14-3)

5. Concord (18-9)

6. Calico Rock (14-5)

7. Viola (14-4)

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Mammoth Spring, Nemo Vista, Shirley

Bradley: The top-ranked Lady Bears roll into regionals playing possibly their best ball of the season after pitching shutouts in five of their past six games as they look to keep that same energy against Blevins on Thursday. 

Taylor: Rebounded from back-to-back losses to win the final three games of the regular season. The Lady Tigers hope to keep the momentum shifted on their side as they are aiming to win their sixth consecutive state title.

Midland: The Lady Mustangs tore through their district tournament to remain undefeated against Class 1A competition and will play a non-conference game against 3A No. Mayflower on Tuesday before starting regionals.

Wonderview: Lydia Polk surpassed 600 strikeouts and the Lady Daredevils defeated Nemo Vista for the third time this season to claim the 1A-4 district title as they head into regionals on a seven-game win streak. 

Concord: A slump in the back half of the season appears to be history as the Lady Pirates clinched the district championship of the rugged 1A-2 taking down Viola in the finals. They will open up against Maynard in regionals.

Calico Rock: The Lady Pirates made it to the 1A-2 district finals, but head into regional play looking for answers after Concord did everything right to win 13-1. Now in a win or go home situation, the Lady Pirates hope to punch their ticket the the state tournament with a victory over Armorel on Thursday.

Viola: The Lady Longhorns took Concord to extra innings in the 1A-2 district semifinals, but fell 10-7 and will begin regional play against Hillcrest on Thursday.