LADY BEARS TAKE SECOND–Ava senior pitcher Ashlyn Mitchell accepted the second place district tournament plaque on behalf of her teammates here Saturday. Ava lost to Reeds Spring in the district championship game, 8-6.
The Ava Lady Bears made it to the championship game of the district tournament here last Saturday but fell to the Reeds Spring Wolves, 8-6.
Ava defeated Mtn. Grove in first round action last Wednesday, 15-0, then defeated Liberty 7-1 in the semifinals on Thursday.
That was an especially sweet victory for Coach Rex Sawyer and the Lady Bears because Liberty had defeated the Ava girls early in the season, on Aug. 23, for their only conference loss.
In the Class 3 District 10 tournament
Ava baserunner Bailey Lee slides in ahead of the tag by Reeds Spring shortstop Hailee Mason in Saturday's game. Lee, who stole second base, was a courtesy runner for Ava catcher Kayla Dougherty.
championship game on Saturday morning, the Lady Bears held a 5 run lead after 3½ innings, but gave up six runs in the bottom of the fourth.
The big blow was a three-run home run by Wolves’ catcher Marley Harmon.
Ava got one run back in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6, but Reeds Spring scored two in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, and held on to claim the district plaque and advance in state play.
Ava defeated Mtn. Grove in three innings on Wednesday.
Kelsey Regennitter was 1-for-2 with three RBIs and Payton Lakey drove in two runs on one hit. Hannah Johnson and Melissa Coonts each drove in a run for Ava, as well.
Coonts scored three runs for Ava and Abbie Lansdown, Bailey Lee and Johnson each scored twice.
Also plating runs for the Lady Bears were Callie Eubanks, Misty Regennitter, Tailer Stofer, Lakey, MaKali Elliott, and Kelsey Regennitter.
In the Liberty game on Thursday afternoon the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Liberty scored one run. Ava countered with two in the top of the fifth and added another in the sixth before exploding for four runs in the seventh to put the game away.
Ava was the visiting team on the scoreboard on Thursday and Saturday.
Morgan Emerich was 3-for-4 on Thursday with a triple and two singles, drove in two runs and scored one.
Lansdown was 2-for-4 and Coonts scored twice for the Lady Bears.
Pitcher Ashlyn Mitchell struck out six Liberty batters and walked only one.
Ava freshman Callie Eubanks was 2-for-3 and Emerich was 2-for-4 with a run batted in on Saturday.
Freshman Misty Regennitter had two RBIs on one hit as the designated player.
Eubanks had two stolen bases against Reeds Spring.
The Lady Bears finished the 2011 season as co-champions of the SCA and a second place finish in district.
