Bernie rallies to earn walkoff sectional victory over Greenville

BERNIE — The Bernie Mules were down to their final strike in Monday’s MSHSAA Class 2 sectional against the Greenville Bears — then the Mules got a miracle or two.

With the Mules down by a run and at the edge of elimination in the bottom of the seventh inning, Seth Teel’s base hit scored Brayden Vaughn to tie the score.

One inning later, Jayden Robinette came home with the winning run on a bases-loaded passed ball as Bernie rallied past the Bears 4-3 to move on to a quarterfinal match up Wednesday.

“Give credit to the kids there for not giving up,” Bernie coach Marcus Massey said. “(Greenville) took the lead from us and had some momentum, but we kept grinding and kept grinding” … and Teel’s hit “was a momentum shift for us.”

Earlier, Greenville used a two-out rally of its own to take a 3-2 lead.

After an error prolonged the top of the fifth inning, Cooper Sturgeon’s double drove home Easton Evans with the tying run, then Trey Porter singled home Sturgeon to give the Bears the lead.

Sturgeon and Ty Huffmaster had two hits apiece for the Bears

Robinette pitched into the top of the eighth for Bernie, with Reese Justice getting the final two outs to earn the win. Teel and Leighton Hicks each had a pair of hits for the Mules.

Bernie will take on Chaffee in a Class 2 quaterfinal Wednesday at a time and location to be announced. Chaffee defeated Crystal City 6-0 Monday in Class 2 sectional at Chaffee.

“It feels great,” Massey said. “These opportunities don’t come around every day. So just to have a group that here down the stretch has bought in and is grinding out win after win (is great) — and (now) to have this opportunity is great for the kids and great for the community. (We’re) very blessed to be in this situation.”