Daniel Boone edges Science Hill to advance to championship round

Lead-off batter Riley Croley was the difference for Boone at the plate. Trailing 1-0, Croley hit a solo home run to right field in the third inning. She doubled in the sixth, leading to the winning run on a 4-3 RBI ground out by Ava Saul.

“I knew she was going to fill up the zone,” Croley said. “When she gave me those pitches, I knew she was going to come inside. I felt the inside pitch and with these games being rained out, we’ve been working in the batting cage. I’ve been working on the inside pitch, trying to pull it and that’s exactly what happened today.”

Saul went the distance and although she gave up a solo home run in the second inning to Science Hill’s Isabel Meeks, she remained strong in the circle. While Saul admitted the home run shook her up for a moment, she trusted the defense behind her. It was a great call as with two runners on base in the top of the sixth, Boone got out of the inning with a double play.

“I have a lot of trust in this team and I know once we get down, there’s a way back,” Saul said. “Once you find a team that consistently has been together through the years, you learn to trust each other. It’s more than just softball. We have a friendship that’s unbreakable.”

It was another brutal loss for the Lady ’Toppers (21-10), whose first defeat in the tournament was one-run in nine innings to Dobyns-Bennett. Science Hill had to fight to get past West Ridge, showing how close the league has been all season. Meeks provided her own strong pitching performance, allowing four hits and just one walk, while striking out five.

“This has been our story the last couple of weeks,” Science Hill coach Megan Harmon said. “You can’t ask for much more. They came out and competed. It stings, but you want your kids to compete. Isabel has been our workhorse all year and she keeps getting better. I can’t wait to see what happens next season because she works so hard to get better.”

Beth Pridemore, Maddie Diamond and Kaylee Oler also had hits for Science Hill.

Daniel Boone, which got a double from Kyleigh Bacon and a single from Taylor Brinn, continued its streak of advancing to the region tournament, which they’ve won the last three times. They also kept alive a shot of making the state tournament for a third straight year. The Lady ’Blazers finished state runner-up a year ago, although head coach Jeremy Jenkins said this team is making its own mark with a quite different lineup.

With the game on the line, Jenkins was happy to see the top of the order in the sixth inning.

“Riley hits the big double and Josie (Jenkins) moves her,” Coach Jenkins said. “Ava bats third and Kyleigh bats fourth. That’s who we want with runners on as we feel one of those two will get them in and they did. Our girls really battled in the windy conditions. It’s just a great job for our girls to live and fight another day, and to get to play on our home field tomorrow against D-B.”