Lady Devils finish off sweep, earn first trip to title series
May 8—KOSSUTH — Booneville was humbled by a midseason loss to Kossuth, and the Lady Blue Devils haven't lost since.
They beat that very same Kossuth team 5-1 on Saturday to complete a sweep of their Class 3A state semifinal series. It was Booneville's 15th-straight win since losing 8-1 to Kossuth on March 25.
"It made us realize that hey, you can get beat," Booneville coach Jessica Taylor said. "...And we knew this whole time that this ball club is well-coached and a good ball team and they could beat us any day. But my kids had the mentality that it was not going to happen."
Booneville (28-4), ranked No. 4 by the Daily Journal, will face Raleigh in the 3A finals at Mississippi State University starting on Wednesday. This is the Lady Devils' first trip to the title series.
They beat Kossuth 7-1 in Friday's Game 1, but the No. 9 Lady Aggies (19-11) put up a better fight in Game 2. Booneville pitcher Hallie Burns (22-1) struck out 14 in the series opener but fanned just three on Saturday.
Despite making better contact, Kossuth could only manage three hits.
"We didn't hit the ball bad," Kossuth coach Dana Rhea said. "They played better than us — that's pretty much all I can say."
Olivia Garrett gave Burns some breathing room with a two-run homer to left field in the third inning, making it a 3-0 game. Brooklyn Bascomb launched a solo bomb in the fourth to get Kossuth on the board, but Booneville responded with two more runs in the fifth.
"I felt it my first at-bat — I felt like I was going to get one today," Garrett said of her homer, which was her fourth of the season. "The energy of the team really helped me out."
The Lady Devils totaled nine hits and chased Kossuth starter Maddie Mask after 4 2/3 innings.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: Garrett's home run was set up by a leadoff walk to Jourdan Mathis.
Big Stat: Garrett was 3 for 3 at the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Coach Speak: "After missing a season last year and coming out and playing every game and every at-bat, every practice like it was their last, they deserve this more than anything." — Taylor