Ravenwood's Ashley Beyke is in the middle of her windup during Monday's perfect game ...

... and then she gets ready for the delivery ...

... and the pitcher follows through. (Photos by Jodi Rall)

RHS, BHS get rematch in region final; both advance into sectionals, too

 By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
Ravenwood junior Ashley Beyke had never pitched a perfect game before – not in travel, not in school ball – not until Monday.

In a do-or-die regional softball semifinal to stay alive in postseason, both Beyke and the Lady Raptors offense brought their A-game to shut out visiting McGavock 10-0 in a game shortened to 4 1/2 innings by the mercy rule.

Beyke struck out 10, didn’t allow any of the 15 batters to reach base, and kept the Lady Raiders from getting the ball out of the infield the entire game. Another junior, Kaitlyn Queen, and senior Lakin Singleton both blasted 3-run homers in support, while senior Hannah Trainer went 3-for-3 with three runs scored.

“I felt like my defense backed me up and helped me,” said Beyke, also a starter on the sectional basketball team earlier this year.

RHS now will get a home game against rival Brentwood in Wednesday’s Region 6-AAA championship game. And both region finalists are also guaranteed a game in Friday’s sectionals for a shot at next week’s state tournament in Murfreesboro.

Beyke had pitched a no-hitter her freshman year and had several in travel softball, her dad said. She had a perfect game broken up in the seventh inning in this year’s season-opener.

“It feels pretty good since I’ve never had one,” Beyke said.

Beyke said she didn’t realize what was happening until the very end. “I was like, ‘Well, I have to stay focused right here,’ ” she said.

While Queen said she was cheering on Beyke “from right field as loud as I could,” she and the other players were careful not to talk to Beyke about what was going on in the dugout, per superstition.

“I was trying to get my mouth shut so I wouldn’t jinx anything,” Queen said.

Lady Raptors welcome Kaitlyn Queen at home plate after her 3-run home run.

After Beyke sat down the side in the top of the first, Queen gave Ravenwood a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning when she crushed the ball over the left field fence.

Trainer led off with a single to right center and stole second, but appeared stranded despite two long fly outs. Lindsay Thurman then walked before Queen hit her second homer of the year.

“It was a high and inside pitch, and I just took it to left field. I could feel it” was gone, said Queen, who had another long ball fall just inside the fence for a double in the fourth.

It was Singleton’s turn in the second inning. After Dailyn White and Haylee Greer opened with back-to-back singles, Trainer beat out a perfect bunt with one out to load the bases.

Hitter Erica Graddy was out on a confusing play that apparently had been ruled an infield fly. The Lady Raiders thought they had a double play after White scored, but umpires conferred and Trainer ended up at third.  Singleton then blasted the ball over the centerfield fence.

In the fifth, Queen doubled in two runs with almost another home run and Sarah Zarcone blasted a shot off the for the first baseman’s glove for an RBI triple.

Hannah Trainer lays down a perfect bunt to advance runners and even reach first safely.

“We just came out and took care of business,” Ravenwood Coach Kari Akin said. “Beyke had a great day on the mound.

“It just makes a difference too when you’re facing somebody you haven’t seen seven times. So I think that made a big difference for us anyway, especially for Ashley and our defense and our offense.”

A perfect game isn’t as rare as in baseball, but still is pretty unusual since especially since the pitching rubber was moved back to 43 feet, Akin said.

“It’s still a pretty tough thing that nobody gets on, not even by error,” the coach said.

The Lady Raptors, who had to battle back Saturday in two games to win the district over BHS, are trying to get back to the state tournament after making their first appearance last May.

“We know not to take anything for granted,” Queen said. “Going to state last year meant everything to us. We have the talent and we have the players to take us there."

Akin said she thinks it’s easier once a team has gotten to stay to get back: “We got there and we didn’t do so well last year and maybe it makes them a little hungry for more. I hope so, because we still have a tough road. We’ve still got a couple of good teams to get through.”

Beyke said the team was hoping to win regionals to get a better draw for sectionals by playing a region runner-up instead of a champion. “that’s our goal right now, just focus on that game first,” the pitcher said. “We just have to beat whoever comes at us.”

Kaitlyn Queen came close to a second HR.	Shortstop Hannah Trainer signals how many outs.
Erin Johnson fields a grounder to second base in the perfect game.	2B Erin Johnson, SS Hannah Trainer, 1B Haylee Greer and 3B Erica Graddy (4) congratulate Ashley Beyke, right, on an out during the perfect game.