LADY BEARCATS SECOND IN RAYMOND TURNER MEMORIAL

Playing five times, including four back-to-back, the Booneville Lady Bearcats finished as the runner-up in the 2nd annual Raymond Turner Memorial Saturday.

Lexi Franklin delivered a three run home run but the Lady Bearcats suffered a 5-3 loss. in the opener against Mansfield.

That came after the Lady Tigers plated four in the top of the fifth, the first coming on a throwing error and the others on a home run.

The Lady Bearcats had a break after that game and returned to take on Perryville, who had lost to Lavaca.
The top of the Lady Bearcat order accounted for six hits and nine RBI in a 10-0 win over the Lady Mustangs.

Layla Byrum had three hits and two RBI. Leigh Swint had three RBI. Both Roni Tilery and Lexi Franklin had two RBI.

The Lady Bearcats were up 3-0 after an RBI groundout by Tillery – one run had scored on a second inning error that allowed Presley Walker to reach and another on a Swint single in the first – when Byrum tripled home two. Swint’s sacrifice fly made it 6-0 through two innings.

Walker drew a walk in the third and Lyddia Franklin reached on another error in front of a run scoring single by Tillery. A Swint ground out got one run and Lexi Franklin singled home two to make it 10-0.

Franklin got the win with three innings of work.

Emily Suttles (2-0) was given the start against Dierks and threw all five innings of the 75-minute time limit game which was a 10-5 Lady Bearcat win.

Suttles also had a two-hit game on the day, as did Walker, Ellie Smith, Swint, and Byrum with Swint having her second straight three RBI game.

With Byrum aboard, Lexi Franklin homered for the second time of the day to give the Lady Bearcats a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first.

Franklin drew an intentional walk an inning later, although Walker had singled one home and Suttles had doubled her home then, with two down, Byrum had singled home a run and Swint had doubled her home to make it 6-1.

Suttles grounded out to drive in a run in the third, Lyddia Franklin got another run home, and Swint singled home two to make it 10-1.

The first four Lady Outlaws reached to start the top of the fourth before Byrum turned a double play while a run scored to make it 10-3.

Dierks added another run in the inning and added an unearned run in the fifth to cut it to 10-5.

That win drew the Lady Bearcats an appointment with Lavaca, who had lost for the first time this season to Mansfield in the winner’s bracket final.

The Lady Bearcats took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, with the second run coming home while Smith was beating out an infield single.

Lavaca got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a one-out single but Lexi Franklin got a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning.

That started a streak of 14 in a row set down by Franklin, but it stayed a 2-1 game until the Lady Bearcats erupted for seven runs in the fifth to put it away.

In the top of the second the Lady Bearcats loaded the bases but could not get a two-out hit and left another runner in the third.

Swint led off the fifth with a triple and scored on a wild pitch while Lexi Franklin drew a walk. A double by Karmen Kent made it 4-1 and, after Smith singled and Walker grounded out, Farrah Stringer reached on an error to score on which two scored to make it 6-1.

With two down Tillery tripled and would score on a single by Byrum and a double by Swint made it 9-1.
Franklin struck out the side in the fifth, giving her 13 in the game.

After catching four games Tillery (shown) got the start in a rematch with Mansfield in the finals. Suttles and Bella Crabtree followed her into the circle.

The Lady Tigers opened the game with a home run then loaded the bases and scored a second run on a two out single for a 2-0 lead.

Byrum saved further damage by snagging a line drive for the final out.

However, the Lady Tigers scored three runs with two down in the second and led 6-0 in the third before a three run home run made it 9-0.

The Lady Bearcats are scheduled to be back in action Tuesday at Cossatot River.