In a game befitting of a later round, the Booneville Lady Bearcats and Atkins Lady Red Devils played an extra inning game to open the Class 3A state tournament at Majestic Park in Hot Springs.
The Lady Bearcats (22-13) saw their season end with a 4-3 loss, ironically the same score by which the Lady Bearcats beat Atkins last May to win a state title.
The loss ends the standout career of Lexi Franklin who went out with a 14 strikeout game in the circle. At the plate she was 2-for-3 on with a solo home run and RBI and was intentionally walked once.
The Lady Bearcats jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second but and had an opportunity to do even more damage to the Region 3 champion.
After Roni Tillery reached on a dropped popup, Kylie Lunsford bunted and, with a throwing error made it all the way to third with Tillery scoring to make it 1-0.
Peighton Montalvo reached on a bunt single with Lunsford holding at third and a bunt by Haylee Taylor scored Lunsford for a 2-0 lead.
Farrah Stringer put down a bunt but the Lady Red Devils chose to go after Montalvo, and retired her, then doubled off Stringer to end the frame.
The Lady Bearcats would have three runners erased on the base paths.
It stayed 2-0 until the fifth when Atkins used an error, an infield single, and a fly ball that fell on the infield for another error to score a run to cut the lead to 2-1.
A two-run double gave Atkins the lead in the bottom of the fifth but Franklin got that run back with a drive over the fence in right center leading off the Lady Bearcat sixth and it was 3-3.
In the seventh Taylor singled and moved to second on a bunt by Stringer in the top half and Franklin stranded two Lady Red Devils in the bottom to force the extra inning.
The Lady Bearcats had Franklin on second – after an intentional walk and a wild pitch – and Makinley Ensey at third in the top of the inning, but could not get a go-ahead run across.
Atkins used a stolen base and a single to left to score the game winner.
FRANKLIN STRIKES OUT 14, HITS HOME RUN IN FINAL GAME
