UNDEFEATED: Hume Hornets round out baseball season with perfect record

Senior Megan Ray successfully bunts off Tara Higgins in the first inning against McDonald County, on Wednesday. The Lady Tigers fell to McDonald County, 8-0.

The undefeated Hornets finalized a perfect season Friday, Sept. 28, defeating bronaugh in a five-inning contest, 22-1. Ryan Austin pitched two innings recording six strikeouts and allowing one walk. Zack Guenther pitched the next two innings recording five strikeouts and allowing one hit, one hit batsmen, and one run.

Cody Franklin led the hornets attack going 3 of 5 with 6 RBIs, followed by Clinton Irwin who was 3 of 4 with 3 RBIs. This win gave the Hornets a perfect 10-0 season scoring 162 total runs and allowing only 19. It was a great season and perfect is never easy to accomplish, coaches noted. The Hume Hornets baseball team defeated the Northeast Vernon County Knights Sept. 22, 18-5. Junior Cody Franklin pitched three innings, allowing five runs. Senior Clinton Irwin pitched and inning and two-thirds, allowing three walks. Sophomore Zack Austin struck out the final batter of the game. Austin had five RBIs, with Irwin batting in four and Eric Pruitt batting in two. Franklin, Zack Austin and Guenther earned one RBI each.

The Hornets faced Golden City in the tournament championship. Zack Austin pitched four innings, allowing only one run, one hit and two walks . Franklin drove in Guenther and J Yarick with a double in the third. Ryan Austin pitched the fifth and sixth innings. He recorded three consecutive strikeouts in the fifth to extend his streak to 15 consecutive strikeouts.

In the sixth, a batter was called out on a fly ball and ended this impressive streak. The score after five innings was Hume 3, Golden City, 1. The Hornets rallied in the sixth, scoring eight runs, ending the game on the 10-run rule Total RBIs including Yarick, 3; Franklin and Guenther, 2 each; Ryan Austin, Erick Pruitt, Zack Austin and Cameron Hinton, 1 each. This win brought the hornets to 8-0 in the season.

The Hornets then defeated NEVC Thursday, Sept. 27, 21-1. Sophomore Zack Austin pitched 4 innings, giving up one unearned run in the fourth. He recorded two strikeouts, giving up one hit and four walks. Hinton then pitched the fifth recording two strikeouts.

Senior Clinton Irwin led the Hornets offensively hitting 4 of 5 with a 3 run home-run (his second of the season) and seven total RBIs. Juniors Ryan Austin and Pruitt hit back-to-back solo homeruns to start the third inning. Ryan Austin was 4 of 4 with 4 RBIs, and Pruitt 2 of 3 with 2 RBIs.