Bernie's best: Mules start fast to down Neelyville for C2D1 title

SENATH — The third time was the charm for the Bernie Mules against the Neelyville TIgers when it mattered the most.

After suffering two losses to Neelyville during the regular season, the Mules got their revenge in the best way in Tuesday’s Class 2 District 1 championship game.

The Mules entered the game laser focused and walked away with an 8-2 win, earning Bernie its first district title since 2018.

“I’m just super proud of this team,” Bernie coach Marcus Massey said. “Our season has been up and down a bit this spring, but we’ve played much better here late. I’m proud of the effort on the mound by Reece Justice and our grind throughout the season so I couldn’t be happier.”

The Mules started cooking early as multiple played landed hits in the second inning for a solid 4-0 lead.

Senior Seth Teel kicked things off for the Mules with a single to center to bring in the first run, while a double from Jayden Robinette and a single from Hunter Newton brought in three more runs.

Despite putting up 16 runs in the semifinals, the Tigers got off to a slow start as they searched for a big hit to make the game competitive for the Mules.

Bernie held a comfortable lead heading into the top of the fifth, but the Tigers slowly started to show life with some hits of their own.

The Tigers finally got on the board with a big line drive from Zak Cowley, who brought in two runs and trimmed the lead down to 4-2.

With the momentum heavily still swinging in the direction of the Mules, they continued to bring in more runs to pull away from the Tigers.

Sophomore Cody Massey blasted a single grounder to right field to bring in consecutive runs for the Mules in the top of the sixth.

As 1 1/2 innings remained, the Tigers needed just an ounce of luck to get across home plate, but the defense from the Mules halted any chance of a run.

Justice was the winning pitcher for the Mules as 54 of his 73 pitches went for strikes. He went the distance, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out three and walking none.

For the Tigers, pitcher Bryce Dollins allowed nine hits and four runs over four and two-thirds innings, striking out two. Dollins also led Neelyville with three hits.

Bernie racked up 13 hits as Robinette, Justice, Newton, and Cody Massey all managed multiple hits. Robinette went 3-for-4 at the plate as he led the Mules in hits.

Justice said winning the district title is an amazing feeling. To do something that the school will always be remembered for is special and is something he will never forget. Stepping into this district matchup, Justice said his game plan was to execute from the mound and at the plate.

“From the mound, I just wanted to go out there and throw first-pitch strikes because that’s the most important thing,” Justice said. “As I stepped up to the plate, I was just trying to relax, and luckily I got us some runs in. For us to do well at state, we just need to remain positive, play for us, and always have fun.”

Despite the loss, Neevlyville coach Gary Dubar said his team played well, but Bernie played better.

“I thought we played okay,” Dubar said. “They hit the ball weakly and landed where we wanted, but it was a tough day for us. We did nothing wrong, and things just went better for Bernie.

“I wonder if beating them twice this season gave us a false confidence that we didn’t really need to have today. But overall, they just played extremely well. I think they just went out and did what they were supposed to do, and it was just their day, not ours.”

Bernie will play the Class 2 District 2 champs Monday in the round 16. Coach Massey said their game plan would remain the same when gearing up for the state tournament.

“I think we just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Massey said. “We must come to work ready to practice every day. We must know who we are and try not to do too much from here on out and just keep playing the baseball we’ve been playing.”