A close call on the right-field line seemed to crush Bell County’s spirit in the seventh inning of Friday’s game against Berea. After battling back from a four-run deficit to cut the lead to one, an RBI triple that landed near the foul line was called fair.

After arguing with the umpire, the call became official with the batter eventually reaching home on an RBI double. The Lady Cats hit three fly balls in the bottom half of the seventh to end the game losing 7-3 to the Lady Pirates.

Taelor Alexander paced Berea from the lead-off position. The freshman finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs. Malyah Penn scored two runs after reaching on a single, two errors and a fielder’s choice.

Kendra Shearer earned the win in the circle for the Lady Pirates. Through 4 2/3 innings, she allowed two hits and no runs while striking out nine batters. She left the game injured in the fifth inning.

Alexander entered the game for Berea and collected the save allowing two hits, two walks and all three runs.

Bell County was led at the plate by Kayleigh Saylor. The eighth-grader scored one run and tallied two RBIs on a triple for the Lady Cats. Makenzie Griffin and Elizabeth Black scored one run on one hit each.

Raegan Robbins was credited with the loss after allowing eight hits and four runs through six-plus innings. Makaya Baker entered in relief in the seventh to close the game.

Berea took a three-run lead early in the game. Penn got things started with a two-run single that gave the Lady Pirates a 2-0 lead. The sophomore first baseman eventually scored on an RBI double by Emily Maynard to give Berea a 3-0 lead after the first.

The game remained silent until the fifth inning. After reaching on an error, Alexander scored on Alyssa Carter’s single to increase the lead to 4-0.

Bell County made a push for the lead in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs, a two-run triple by Saylor narrowed the deficit to 4-2. She then scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 4-3 heading into the final inning.

Things looked promising for the Lady Cats early in the seventh. Bell looked like they would hold Berea scoreless in the inning after a double play, but a fielding error allowed Emma Lewis to score and increase the lead to 5-3.

An RBI triple by Maynard gave the Lady Pirates a 6-3 lead before an RBI double gave Berea a four-run lead.

Bell County was unable to do much in the bottom half of the inning with three fly balls ending the game.

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Bell County ended a three-game losing streak on Saturday when the team traveled to Oneida Baptist Institute. The Lady Cats eased past the Lady Mountaineers 22-6 to get back on the winning track.

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Up Next

Bell County (10-13) traveled to Harlan (12-5) on Monday before heading to Knox Central (5-14) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Berea (8-8) returns to action on Tuesday when they host Lynn Camp (16-13).

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN