Bernie SB showing 'grit and toughness' as regular season draws to a close

Veteran Bernie High School softball coach Brad Botsch has had to figure out a lot of ways in which to win games through the years. For example, in a recent rout of Dexter in the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament semifinal, the Mules utilized their speed on the basepaths and put down several great bunts, which put an inordinate amount of defensive pressure on the Bearcats.

“We almost say,” Botsch said of the strategy, “that if you can’t get a bunt down (well), we can’t hardly put you at the dish. If we need to use (a bunt), then we are going to use it.”

With that in mind, it is ironic that the Mules’ most recent victory was the result of power courtesy of junior hitter Abbygail Powell.

Facing Delta in Bernie on Monday, and with the game tied at six runs apiece in the eighth inning, Powell blasted a home run to win the contest 8-6.

“She is a tough kid,” Botsch said of Powell recently. “You’ve got to have players like that show some grit, and that feeds to the rest of the team.”

That was evident against the Bobcats.

Delta (4-8) rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the third and stretched their margin to 6-1 in the fifth inning. However, Bernie (8-13), which doesn’t have a senior on the roster, scored a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings, three more in the seventh to force extra innings, before Powell won the game in the eighth.

“It is important for us as a program,” Botsch said, “and it is important for our school, in athletics to show grit and toughness.

“We’re not always going to be the best athletes, but you have control over (toughness). If you have control over that, then you’ve got to step in there and want to go toe-to-toe and say ‘Hey, I’m going to beat you this pitch.’”

Bernie has shown grit throughout this spring, as this incredibly young group has matured.

At one point, the Mules were 3-11, yet have battled and battled to win five of their past seven games.

“Life is a grind,” Botsch said of his message to his young team. “Just like every pitch, we talk about baserunning and having great baserunning technique on every pitch, being ready defensively, and wanting the ball to be hit to you.

“It is the same thing at the plate, with every pitch, you want to try and beat that pitcher. If you can break (each play) down like that, sometimes it simplifies it, instead of focusing on the overall part of the game.”

The Mules will visit Puxico (0-8) on Monday at 4:30 p.m., before closing the regular season with home games against Cooter (4-6) (Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.) and Campbell (4-9) (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.).