Cyarah Dotts pitched a complete game and drove in the go-ahead run Friday as Springdale Har-Ber defeated Cabot 3-1 in the second round of the Class 6A state softball tournament.
The Wildcats advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, ending the season for the Cabot Panthers, who finished 14-12. Har-Ber improved to 18-9 and will face either Bentonville or Rogers on Tuesday in Benton.
Dotts allowed just four hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking two. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a double in the fifth inning that scored Kenzie Smith with what proved to be the game-winning run.
“She’s been lights out for us all year,” Har-Ber head coach Kelli Johnson said. “She’s our rock. When we need an out, we know we have a chance because of how she competes.”
The game was scoreless through four innings before Har-Ber plated two runs in the fifth. Smith led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then advanced to third on a groundout. Dotts followed with her double down the left-field line to break the tie.
Cabot answered in the top of the sixth. After Dotts walked the first two batters, a sacrifice fly by Cabot’s Macy Mayberry plated the Panthers’ first run. Dotts then induced a ground ball double play to end the inning and preserve Har-Ber’s 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Har-Ber added an insurance run. Karsyn Cypert reached on a fielding error, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on a single by Smith.
Dotts worked around trouble in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single but retiring the next three batters in order to seal the victory.
Johnson said the team’s defensive effort behind Dotts was key, particularly in the middle innings when Cabot mounted several rallies.
“We’ve been working on situational defense all week,” Johnson said. “The girls were locked in. They knew what was at stake.”
Har-Ber’s offense was limited, managing just five hits against Cabot starter Karsyn Smith, who went the distance for the Panthers. Dotts and Cypert each had two hits for the Wildcats.
The win marks the furthest tournament advancement for Har-Ber since reaching the semifinals in 2018. The team lost in the second round in each of the last two seasons.
Har-Ber last reached the state quarterfinals in 2019, when they eventually lost to Springdale in the semifinals. That season, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the state championship game before falling to Bentonville.
Dotts said the team’s focus this year has been on taking each game one at a time.
“We’re not thinking too far ahead,” Dotts said. “We just want to keep playing hard and see how far we can go.”
Har-Ber will next face the winner of Saturday’s Bentonville-Rogers game. That contest was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for Monday.
The Wildcats entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed from the 6A-West Conference, behind conference champions Rogers, Bentonville, and Springdale. Har-Ber lost twice to Rogers in the conference tournament, eliminating them from championship contention and dropping them to the lower bracket.
Despite the early exit from conference play, Johnson said the team’s performance in the postseason has shown growth.
“We’ve been playing our best ball at the right time,” she said. “These girls have worked hard all season, and they’re starting to believe in themselves.”
Har-Ber’s last state tournament appearance came in 2022, when they lost in the first round to Searcy. The program has won two state titles, the most recent in 2012.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
