C1SB Semifinal: Ash Grove takes advantage of Bernie miscues in rout

Bernie High School junior shortstop collides with an Ash Grove baserunner during the MSHSAA Class 1 Softball State Semifinal on Monday at the Killian Sports Complex in Springfield.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

SPRINGFIELD – As good as the Bernie High School softball team played in its MSHSAA Class 1 Quarterfinal 3 road win at Plato last week, that wasn’t the case in its state semifinal loss to Ash Grove on Monday at the Killian Sports Complex in Springfield.

The Mules did a lot of things well, but also struggled defensively in committing seven errors, and fell 17-4 to the Pirates.

“Ash Grove is a great team,” veteran Bernie coach Brad Botsch said following the loss. “Honestly, we just didn’t play very well. We had five or six physical errors, and against a team that hits as well as they do, you’ve got to make plays.

“I think that game is a lot tighter if we don’t make mistakes.”

Bernie (22-10-1) did that early in the game.

Ash Grove (24-8) scored a couple of runs in its initial at-bat, but the Mules came back with three runs in their first time at the plate.

Bernie junior Macie Botsch led off the game with a walk, before scoring on an RBI single from senior Abby Powell.

Sophomore Mikalyn Kirkwood reached on an error, which allowed Powell to advance to third base, and she later scored on a sacrifice bunt from junior Rylie Powell, which tied the game at two runs apiece.

Botsch thought nerves were a factor “a little, bit early,” but then his team showed some moxie.

“We bounced right back after they put up two (runs),” Botsch said. “We bounced right back with three or four, and I thought ‘OK, here we go.’”

Kirkwood put Bernie ahead 3-2 on an RBI single from Mackenzie Meese, but the Pirates took a 4-3 lead in the second inning and scored every inning thereafter.

“They kept punching, punching, punching,” Botsch said of Ash Grove’s offense, “and we were kind of counterpunching. And then they blew it open.”

While the Pirate offense (10 hits) was efficient, Bernie struggled at the plate, for the most part, in mustering just five hits.

Macie Botsch had a hit, a run, and a walk while sophomore Lexi Dillinger (one walk), Abby Powell (one hit, one run, one RBI), Kirkwood (one hit, one run), Rylie Powell (one walk), Meese (one hit), and sophomore Kalli Mason (one hit, one run, one walk) also contributed.

Sophomore pitcher Blair Pleimling, who had her best outing of the spring against Plato, according to Botsch, worked five innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits.

She walked six and struck out one while Kirkwood closed the final two innings and gave up two hits, three earned runs, seven walks, and struck out two.

“My message to the team,” Botsch said after meeting with his players, “was that we were proud of them, no matter what.”

This was the first trip to the State Softball Finals for the Bernie program.

The Mules will face Holcomb (25-5) at 5:30 p.m. today in the third-place game.

The Hornets fell to Concordia 7-1 in the other Class 1 semifinal.

“The only way that I’ll be disappointed in these kids,” Botsch explained, “is if they don’t come out (against Holcomb) and give 110 percent.

“First, second, third, or fourth, we are one of the four best teams in the state.”