ROBERTSON DRIVES IN TWO WITH TWO DOWN IN 7TH; FACULTY WINS

The Booneville High School Class of 2024 promised to break the faculty’s senior-faculty softball game winning streak.

With many of the soon to-be alumni dressed in a mocking theme of “old people,” they came close.

Really close.

But, not close enough.

With no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning the faculty had runners at second and third but Lexi Franklin, who had tied the game in the top of the inning with a two-run home run, got media specialist Emily Crowley to pop out to Kylie Lunsford at third base and retired coach Arron Kimes on a tap back to the 50-yard line.

But, with two down, junior high science teacher Haley Robertson (shown all smiles after delivering the winning hit) singled through the middle. Jessica Rogers, another BJHS science instructor, who had reached on an infield single when Lunsford and shortstop Ry Ray collided and both fell to the ground, scored easily to tie the game at 6-6.

Coach Cody Harrel would have run through any stop sign, had there been one, and he beat a throw to Mathew Crosby at home to win it, 7-6.

Going to the bottom of the final inning coach Jacob “Grimace” Hattabaugh admitted for the first time in his tenure as a coach with Booneville Schools, he was nervous this late in a game against the seniors.

He had reason to be, the faculty had blown a 5-0 lead.

It was 2-0 after an inning when coach Chad Simpson grounded to third with two runs coming home in the confusion.

Transportation director John Weaver tripled and scored on a throwing error for the faculty in the third and an error filled inning allowed high school chemistry teacher Beth Miesner and bus mechanic/driver Rob Beach to reach and Hattabaugh, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, and Miesner to score.

The seniors quietly then mounted a comeback. Dylan Hardin doubled leading off the fourth and scored on a Lance Sims single that caromed off of counselor Ginger Ulmer’s ankle.

In the fifth Colter Fisher beat out an infield single and Kyra Brooks, who had the seniors first hit, reached on a dropped fly ball that had a second throwing error that saw both come around to score and it was 5-3.

In the sixth the faculty could not take advantage of having runners at second and third with one away. Superintendent Trent Goff had been erased on a running catch by Dax Goff in right but Robertson reached when Franklin could not find the handle on a tap to the mound and field maintenance man extraordinaire Andy Napier doubled.

The inning ended when Matt O’Bar speared a line drive off the bat of coach Doc Crowley to keep it 5-3.

But, the top of the seventh started with a faculty error that allowed Matthew Farley to reach and brought Franklin to the plate. She took a pitch to right field for an inside-the-stadium home run and a tie at 5-5.

With one out Lunsford reached on another error and she later scored when Brooks forced Farris Danes at second and an attempt at a double play went awry giving the seniors a rare lead, at 6-5.