The Chillicothe High School Softball team traveled to St. Joe on Wednesday evening to take on the Benton Cardinals in their final regular season MEC game of the year. The Lady Hornets held off a late Cardinals comeback for a 6-5 victory.
Kirsten Dunn led the game off with a homerun to left center field on the first at bat of the game. Chillicothe carried the 1-0 lead into the 4th inning where they added on three more. Adra Stretch knocked in an RBI single scoring Jolie Bonderer from 3rd. Tori Stoner followed by hitting an RBI single to score Stretch from 3rd base. To close out the scoring in the top of the fourth, Kirsten Dunn hit an RBI double to score pinch-runner Charley Peniston from 2nd base.
Benton went into the bottom of the 4th inning trailing 4-0, but mustered up four runs of their own to tie it up heading into the 5th inning.
Hope Helton came up huge in the top of the 6th inning with an RBI double to knock in Tori Stoner and Kirsten Dunn to give the Lady Hornets a 6-4 lead.
Wynter Hurst hit a solo homerun for Benton in the bottom of the 6th inning to bring the score to 6-5 heading into the final inning.
The Cardinals stifled the Lady Hornets in the top of the 7th and headed into the bottom of the 7th trying to tie or win the game. Benton managed to get runners on 1st and 2nd base with a walk and a single on a close play at first base with two outs.
The final batter of the night was retired on a popup right back to the Lady Hornets star pitcher, Kinlei Boley. Boley finished the night with six strikeouts and two walks while giving up eight hits and five runs in her hard fought seven innings.
Kirsten Dunn led the way offensively for Chillicothe, tallying three hits and two RBIs.
The Lady Hornets are back in action on Thursday night at the University of Missouri at 6 pm for a rematch of the 2021 State Championship against Blair Oaks.
