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West Branch’s Byers ties state record for homers
By MIKE McLAIN
BLOIT
West Branch senior Bailey Byers had three reasons for wanting to go deep when she stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning.
A homer would have given the Warriors a comfortable seven-run lead over Howland in Thursday’s Division II sectional final. She also would have evened the score with younger sister Kelsey, who powered a two-run homer in the first inning.
Even better was that a home run would tie Bailey Byers for the state record for homers in a season — 18.
When Byers drove a pitch over the fence in left field, she couldn’t contain her excitement. Her home-run trot was more like a sprint as she delivered the knockout punch in the Warriors’ 10-2 win.
“That’s the fastest I’ve ever run around the bases,” said Byers, who had three hits and three RBI.
She tied the state mark set by Taylor Kirian of New Riegel in 2013.
Byers had just 10 combined home runs in her first three seasons, which makes her achievement more remarkable.
A little sibling rivalry with Kelsey, a junior, and just steady improvement in her power stroke in summer travel leagues led to the power surge.
Warriors coach Sis Woods tried to keep the approaching record from Bailey, but she found out from a friend.
The pressure of wanting to tie the record could have worked against Byers, which is why she was happy to get it out of the way in the Warriors’ first tournament game.
“I’m so happy,” said Byers, who will play softball at Malone University. “I was sitting around like, ‘I’m not going to get this; I’m not going to get this.’
“But I got it.”
The third-seeded Warriors (19-4) will play Lakeview on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a district semifinal at Alliance High School. Howland ends its tournament run with an 11-10 record.
There wasn’t much intrigue after the Warriors took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Grace Heath singled and scored on a throwing error following a double by Maddie Pidgeon. Kelsey Byers then sent a pitch by starting pitcher Marissa Miller over the fence in center field.
“Any time you can score quickly, it gives your team the morale and it takes the air out of them a little bit,” Woods said. “We scored in every inning but one, and our pitching was very good.”
Kylie Coffelt started and worked six innings for the win, not allowing a walk and striking out eight. Kelsey Byers worked a perfect seventh inning.
The smile on Kelsey’s face afterwards mirrored the look of her sister. While the two admittedly like to compete against each other, it’s all about the team on the field.
“It’s exciting for me,” Kelsey said. “I’m feel so proud of her, even though she’s my older sister.”
The Warriors added an unearned in the second and two in the third. Pidgeon led off the third with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Kelsey Byers, who had two hits and three RBIs. Delaney Rito, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on a throwing error.
Back-to-back doubles by Peyton Alazaus and Bailey in the fourth increased the Warriors’ lead to 7-1. Alazaus singled leading off the sixth and scored on Bailey Byers’ homer. Heath followed with a double, scoring on a single by Pidgeon.
“It felt good,” Bailey said of her home-run stroke. “I was like, ‘That thing is getting smaller,’ ”
Miller singled in ReAnn Litz for the Tigers in the fourth. Senior Sara Price homered to left field leading off the sixth.