LADY BEARCATS WIN RAYMOND TURNER MEMORIAL

Playing four times over just over 24 hours, the Lady Bearcats won the inaugural Raymond Turner Memorial tournament Saturday evening, after winning their second 3A-4 South game Friday.

Playing Mansfield for the second time in the four-team tournament, the Lady Bearcats led 2-0 but Mansfield had the tying runs aboard in the top of the fifth with the 75-minute time limit having been reached.

A ball hit to deep left was tracked down by Teagen McMaster (shown earlier in the game) to nail down the win.

McMaster was in the lineup in place of Leigh Swint, who was not with the team due to being a Miss BHS pageant contestant.

Karmen Kent doubled in the game’s first run in the fourth and Hayley Lunsford had been responsible for the second run in the top of the fifth before a pair of errors gave Mansfield a chance.

Lady Bearcats 5 Mansfield 2

The Lady Bearcats (10-1) had moved into the finals by beating Mansfield 5-2. Mansfield had beaten Paris in the opener while the Lady Bearcats had edged Lavaca.

An error allowed Brooke Turner – the daughter of the man for whom the tournament is named – to reach and two to score in the bottom of the first.

Roni Tillery came into the circle in the third inning with Lexi Franklin dealing with a finger issue. After a couple of walks, a sacrifice fly to McMaster and a passed ball allowed the Lady Tigers to tie the game.

Another error allowed Turner to reach in the second allowing Layla Byrum, who had singled, to score the go-ahead run.

Lyddia Franklin replaced Turner on the bases and, and after Lexi Franklin came home on a passed ball, Lyddia Franklin scored on a ground ball by Joleigh Tate and it was 5-2.

Tillery pitched around a one-out double in the Mansfield fourth and the game ended with the Lady Bearcats batting in the bottom of the fourth.

Lady Bearcats 4 Lavaca 3

Tillery had been the late game hero in the tournament opener. With the time limit exceeded Tillery drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth to beat Lavaca 4-3.

The inning had started with Turner being walked but Tate and Lunsford were retired on a fly ball and a fielder’s choice. Caroline Smithson singled to right to move Lunsford to second and McMaster was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Tillery.

The game was scoreless going to the bottom of the fourth when Tate hit a solo home run to center.

In the fifth Tillery doubled and Byrum singled and with two down an error allowed Lexi Franklin to reach and both to score for a 3-0 lead.

Lavaca tied the game in the sixth on a three-run double with no outs. The hitter turned baserunner was erased at the plate trying to score the winning run on a bunt and Lexi Franklin got the next two to end the frame.

Lady Bearcats 20 Waldron 0

On Friday it was a lopsided 20-0 beatdown of Waldron that saw Byrum hit two home runs to take over the team lead. Byrum had hit her first of the season on Thursday.

The Lady Bearcats scored two with two down in the first inning – Turner had the first two of her five RBI – and were in complete control throughout.

Byrum and Lexi Franklin both had four RBI and Byrum recorded four hits with Franklin and Smithson both having three.