Bears back in the hunt  for a state title

PHOTO BY BECKY MATHRE

The Byron softball team poses for a photo with its Section 1AAA championship trophy. Back row: Mike Burton, Justin Mathre, Kendall Monson, Macy Behringer, Natalie Gibbs, Kaydence Fjerstad, Mackenzie Steele, Berkley Paulson, Caliegh Barrone, Norah Brown, Gabby Vos, Sil Mathre and Jake Harmon. Front Row: Bella Rice, Eva Brennan, Kadie Augenstein, Ella Brennan, Hattie Mathre, Tallie Behrens, Sydney Portner, Briley Stanich and Leah Bendix. 

It’s the beginning of summer and the Byron Bears are back on the hunt for a state softball title after taking down the Kasson-Mantorville (K-M) KoMets 5-0 in the Section 1AAA championship last week.
The showdown started with four scoreless frames until Byron got the bats hot with two rallies in the fifth and sixth innings to build its lead and take control of the game.
“The whole game we were putting balls in play. I think that’s where the confidence built that we had K-M beat from the get-go. They were striking out a ton and would only get a player on base every now and then, but we were able to have runners in scoring position. We were coming close, but we just needed that one extra hit to score… We ended up scoring that first run in the fifth inning and then the game just cracked open for us,” said Byron senior center fielder Hattie Mathre.
The Bears were able to put together multiple hits in the opening innings, but the early part of the game was owned by superb defense from both sides.
While Byron threatened to score on multiple occasions, K-M struggled to find their timing against Bears’ pitcher Caliegh Barrone.
It’s not the first time the KoMets have struggled to keep up with Barrone in the circle.
The Bears’ freshman phenom gave K-M fits earlier in the regular season during a 6-5 win for Byron where she struck out 16 batters and held the KoMets scoreless through three innings before allowing one four-run rally in the fourth and a single run in the seventh.
In the section championship, Barrone kept the scorecard completely clean, dominating a talented lineup by allowing one hit and striking out 14 batters — also notching her 200th career strikeout — in seven innings of work.
According to Mathre, Barrone’s work in the circle kept the team’s confidence levels high even while the score was still tied at 0-0 heading into the late stages of the game.
Byron’s magic in the fifth inning began with a two consecutive leadoff singles from Barrone and Tallie Behrens, that ultimately put runners on first and third with nobody out.
K-M managed to get a ground out and hold Barrone up at third to set itself up with an opportunity to get out of the jam with a double play, but elected to walk Byron’s Kaydence Fjerstad in the next at-bat to create an opportunity to make a force out at any base.
The strategic play made sense, but Byron’s Mackenzie Steele took advantage of her opportunity to make the KoMets pay.
Steele hit a ground ball to K-M pitcher Emily Olson, but an error on the play allowed all runners to advance and reach safely, scoring Barrone from third to put the Bears up 1-0 with the bases still loaded and only one out on the board.
The second critical decision of the inning came when Bears’ head coach Jake Harmon pinch-hit Berkley Paulson for Macy Behringer in the next at-bat.
Paulson ran the count to 1-1 before a passed ball scored Behrens from third to give Byron a 2-0 lead and allow all runners to advance to a second-and-third scenario.
The rally continued when Paulson got the pitch she was looking for and sent a fly ball into right field that was deep enough for Fjerstad to tag up from third and beat the throw home to score a third run.
K-M threatened in the top of the sixth inning by earning two walks and eventually loading the bases with a two-out intentional walk for Olson, but the KoMets could not capitalize after a weak ground ball hit right back to Barrone in the circle was easily handled for the third out.
Byron took advantage of the missed chance and went to work scoring insurance runs in the bottom of the frame.
Mathre sparked the second rally with a one-out single and eventually scored when Behrens launched a towering two-run home run to right field that put the Bears up 5-0.
Barrone rounded out the final half inning with two strikeouts and got the final batter to foul out to catcher Leah Bendix to secure the win.
The win set up Byron to face Simley in the opening round of the Class AAA state playoffs at Caswell Park in Mankato on Tuesday, June 2.
Stats and results from the game between the Bears and the Spartans were not available at the time of press.