SPRINGFIELD – Move over Willie Mays … you have some company.

Skyline centerfielder Kimber Henderson reeled in a game-ending, over-the-shoulder catch at the well to preserve a 1-0 victory over Mt. Vernon Monday and send the Tigers to the Class 2 championship.

“It came off the bat, and I saw that it was going to be very deep,” Henderson said. “I wasn’t sure if it was over or not, and I just drop-stepped and kind of laid my glove out there for it. I didn’t even know if I had it in my glove. I just kind of looked and it was there.”

As Henderson pulled the ball from her glove, teammates sprinted into centerfield to celebrate. While teams usually converge on the circle, Skyline head coach Shawna Bybee motioned her squad to the outfield.

“Did that just happen? Did we really just do this,” Bybee said. “And then I didn’t even want us to meet in the middle. I wanted to go to her. I kept telling Kimber, ‘you are going to make a heck of a catch today – you need to be ready every play. I kept thinking she’s going to do it, and she did it at the end of the game.”

Henderson’s theatrics aside, the game belonged to the opposing pitchers, for the most part with Skyline senior Makenna Shockley battling Mt. Vernon junior Emmie Schubert pitch-for-pitch throughout the contest.

Shockley finished the game allowing just a single hit with 9 strikeouts, while Schubert scattered 7 hits with 2 walks and 10 strikeouts.

Skyline threatened early, loading the bases in the first inning; however, Schubert was able to escape the jam with a clutch strikeout to end the inning.

Two innings later, Raegan Lewis’s single put the Tigers in prime position, once again, after a passed ball allowed the junior catcher to advance to second with just one out.

Two batters later, Tymber Pinon ripped a single into right center to bring Lewis around for the game’s only score.

From there, Shockley found another gear, allowing just one baserunner over the final four innings.

“We have dreamed of being in the final four since we were in seventh grade, and I think that we were willing to do whatever it took to get to the championship game,” Shockley said. “It’s a big relief to know that I have a good defense behind me, so I can let (opposing hitters) make contact and put the ball in play, because I know my team will make plays.”

While Shockley remained confident throughout the matchup, that confidence fluttered ever so slightly on the final pitch to Mt. Vernon first baseman Jocelyn Liss.

“Oh, shoot – that’s gone,” Shockley said after watching the ball come off Liss’ bat. “I thought it was out, and so when I saw Kimber catch it, I was just immediately jumping up and down and screaming.”

Skyline (30-1) now moves on to face Kennett (30-6) in Tuesday’s Class 2 championship, and Bybee believes her team is definitely up to the challenge.

“I think my girls have had fire all year, undefeated or not,” Bybee said. “It is not just our pitcher on the mound; it’s not just one hitter. I mean, one through nine is dangerous, our defense is dangerous and our pitching is dangerous, and it just kind of sets us up a little bit different.”

For Mt. Vernon and head coach Matt Schubert, the thrilling battle between two of southwest Missouri’s finest turned on just a couple plays.

“When you’ve got two good teams going at it, it’s going to come down to just a couple little things,” Coach Schubert said. “Somebody makes a good play here, or makes a good play there, you get a break on a call or something like that. It felt like we didn’t get any of those today, and Skyline benefitted from one or two that really mattered.”

The Mountaineers (30-5) will face Thayer (19-5) in the Class 2 third place game.

Class 2 Semifinal: Skyline – 1, Mt. Vernon – 0

Skyline          0 0 1 0 0 0 0 | 1 7 0
Mt. Vernon  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 1 1


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