Weather wasn’t a factor. The Lady Bearcats proved if you hit it well the ball will travel, even in Greenland’s spacious field.
On a cold damp morning game on Friday the Lady Bearcats pounded Greenland 10-0 in the opening round of the Class 3A Region 1 tournament.
Included in the beat-down were Joeligh Tate and Karmen Kent home runs.
On a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, Layla Byrum hit two home runs and Lexi Franklin and Roni Tillery both hit one as the Lady Bearcats demolished Valley Springs 14-0 in the semifinals.
The Lady Bearcats (24-1) will face Lincoln in the regional finals at 2:30 on Monday to determine a seeding and time for the Class 3A state tournament Valley Springs is hosting in Harrison starting Thursday.
Lady Bearcats 10 Greenland 0
The Lady Bearcats did not score in the first inning – the only time that happened in an inning – but a Joleigh Tate and single and a triple by Caroline Smithson broke the ice, or at least splashed the puddle.
Karmen Kent followed with an inside-the-park home run and it was 3-0.
Besides the home run attack during the weekend there were plenty of triples. Franklin tripled in the Lady Bearcat third and scored when the throw home got away. Tate (shown doing so) later smashed a ball out of the park to make it 5-0.
Byrum singled home a run, Franklin drew a bases loaded walk, and a sacrifice fly by Brooke Turner in the fourth pushed the advantage to 8-0.
After Smithson reached on a Greenland error in the fifth Kent doubled her home. Kent was at third when Tillery delivered a base hit to end it.
Franklin allowed just one hit in the game and struck out 10.
Lady Bearcats 14 Valley Springs 0
The first five Lady Bearcats reached base with Layla Byrum hitting a two run home run to make it 2-0.
Leigh Swint was aboard on one of four Valley Springs errors and scored on a wild pitch before Hayley Lunsford reached on another error that allowed a run to score and it was 4-0 after one.
Byrum led off the second with her second round tripper and, after Lexi Franklin walked and Brooke Turner singled, Lunsford tripled and it was 7-0.
An inning later Roni Tillery followed a Karmen Kent double with a triple. Byrum lifted a fly ball that scored Tillery for her fourth RBI of the day
Swint then joined the attack with a triple of her own and had a an easy trot home when Franklin hit a home run to make it 11-0.
In the fourth Kent singled home a run and Tillery hit a home run.
Franklin finished it from there. She allowed two hits and struck out 12 in picking up her 21st win of the season.
