What Bishop Brossart’s softball team did Monday was three years in the making.
The Lady ‘Stangs won their first 10th Region game since 2017, knocking off Bracken County, 8-5, at Bracken County Middle School and earned a semifinal berth against George Rogers Clark (a 10-9 winner over Pendleton County) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’ve been working to get to this spot for three years,” Brossart coach Tom Baynum said.
Winning a regional game for the first time in nine years was nice enough, but it wasn’t the only reason Brossart (24-11) could celebrate because the Lady ‘Stangs:
• Ended a four-season losing streak against Bracken County.
• Continued a season in which Brossart won the 37th District for the first time since 2016.
• And atoned for a 9-8 loss to the Polar Bears on April 11.
“We’ve been practicing and getting ready for this since December,” Brossart left fielder Avery Wietholter said.
Brossart pitcher Anna Bezold gave up 15 hits in the April loss. She surrendered 11 Monday, but Baynum said expanding her repertoire has helped.
“(Bezold) is different now than she was in April,” Baynum said. “We mixed in some different things with the changeup, the drop curve.”
Brossart carried a .360 team batting average, with four starters hitting over .400. Monday’s 15-hit attack included at least one hit from all nine starters.
Third baseman Ella Walerius went 3-for-4, left fielder Avery Wietholter was 2-for-3 with a double, catcher Leah Robinson drove in two runs.
Bracken County coach Jamey Johnson wondered whether the singles-hitting Polar Bears (16-21-1) or power hitters would show up.
“We’ve been all over the map this year, but we’ve got plenty of hitters that can hit for power, and we’ve got som that just get the jøb done” Johnson said.
The first inning revealed the answer: three runs on RBI singles from Jenna Colvin, Rees Hargett and Presley Johnson.
Brossart went ahead for good an inning later – six runs on five hits and sending 10 to the plate.
“We just all realized that we’re going to have to finish this game out as a team, and we all just put our “A” game together,” Wietholter said.
Shortstop Kayleigh Stadelmann doubled in the second and later reached first on a bunt single, but the defensive play of the game maybe merits SportsCenter Top 10 consideration – she ended Bracken County’s fourth inning by going parallel to snag Jordan Ahrens’ line drive near second base.
A conundrum was created: Was the double, bunt or catch was Stadelmann’s favorite contribution?
“I don’t know … I think they’re pretty even,” she said. “I liked getting my bunt down, actually, that was pretty good. And then my dive catch was pretty awesome.”
Brossart took an 8-3 lead in the third on a single by Wietholter and a sacrifice fly by Ava Freppon. The Polar Bears scored twice in the sixth on an error.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 17, MASON COUNTY 7 (6 INNINGS)
Sandi Kitchen was up past her bedtime Monday.
Not that Campbell County’s softball coach minded. She stayed awake long enough to watch the Camels’ 17-7, six-inning win over the Royals at Bracken County Middle School. The reward: defending champion Harrison County in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Because of George Rogers Clark’s 10-9 win over Pendleton County and Harrison County’s 13-2, five-inning win over Montgomery County, Campbell County-Mason County (which was scheduled to start at 8 p.m.) didn’t begin until 9:25 p.m. and end until 11:22 p.m.
“I’m in bed by now, buddy,” Kitchen said.
Campbell County (22-8) might not still be playing if not for pitcher Hope Hamilton and catcher Lilly Phirman, two of the Camels’ seven seniors. Hamilton’s night included a two-run home run (part of her 3-for-5 hitting), and Phirman went 4-for-5.
For the previous six days, Phirman had been thinking about the Camels’ 4-1 loss to Bishop Brossart in the 37th District finals May 19.
“Going to bed at night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Phirman said. “It kept me up sometimes.”
Hamilton struck out three in her four innings in the circle.
“I’ve really focused on my curveball this year,” Hamilton said. “That’s been my go-to pitch; (it) kind of keeps them off balance a little bit. And then, my changeup was working.”
Were Hamilton and Phirman the only reasons Campbell County is still playing? Hardly – senior Emma Schultz went 2-for-4 with a double, and junior Addison Propes was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.
Mason County’s (16-18) three errors didn’t help. The first, on center fielder Aubrey Gross, led to two of Campbell County’s three first-inning runs.
Campbell County’s lone error on Mallory Fleckenstein, and Gross’ single helped the Royals pull to within 3-2 after two innings – for which the Camels atoned their next two frames.
In the third, Addison Propes’ two-run single helped give Campbell County bat around and take a 6-2 lead. In the fourth, the Camels’ sent 10 to the plate, including Hamilton’s homer, and scored seven more times.
Hamilton said Royals starter Delana Rigg had jammed her inside in her first three at-bats.
“So I knew I had to get my hands through it and lift it up,” Hamilton said. “And that’s’ all I did.”
Mason County staved off a mercy-rule ending in the fifth by scoring four times on doubles by Bentley Shepherd, Kylah Turner and Rigg.
In the sixth, Campbell County scored four more times on walks to Phirman, Fleckenstein and Schultz’s two-run single. Turner’s single off Lexi Gugel scored Kalyn Gallagher.
If it’s not rained out – The Weather Channel posted an 89% chance – Tuesday will be a chance to exact revenge on the Fillies, who beat the Camels, 8-0, in last year’s final.
“We’re ready for this game,” Kitchen said. “We’ve been waiting for this game to come around, and this it.”
BISHOP BROSSART 8, BRACKEN COUNTY 5
BRACKEN COUNTY — 300-020-0 – 5-11-3
BISHOP BROSSART — 062-000-x – 8-15-1
Tucker, Hargett (3) and Beckett; Bezold and Robinson. WP-. Bezold (20-6) LP-Tucker (6-10). 2B-Stadelmann (Brossart), Wietholter (Brossart).
Records: Bracken County 16-21-1, Bishop Brossart 24-11.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 17, MASON COUNTY 7 (6 INNINGS)
CAMPBELL COUNTY — 303-704 – 17-18-1
MASON COUNTY — 020-040 – 7-8-3
Hamilton, Gugel (5) and Phirman; Rigg, Hughes (5) and Ullery. WP-Hamilton (14-4). LP-Rigg (6-8). HR-Hamilton (CC). 2B-Schultz (CC), Shepherd (MC), Turner (MC), Rigg (MC).
Records: Campbell County 22-8, Mason County 16-18.