The Blair Oaks Lady Falcons celebrate after defeating Lathrop 2-1 in nine innings of their Class 2 semifinal game Friday in Springfield.

'Ugly' no-hitter by

Kliethermes helps

Blair Oaks advance

to softball Final 4

In semifinal classic, Boessen's

blow lifts Lady Falcons to 2-1 win

Oct. 20, 2017

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --- This thrilling ride just produced some more stomach-churning butterflies for the folks in Green.

A lot more.

Oh my, what a feeling --- butterflies have never felt so good.

In an instant classic, Brooke Boosen's RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons to a 2-1 win over the Lathrop Mules in the Class 2 semifinals at the Killian Complex on Friday.

The thrill of victory, indeed.

"It was an intense, pressure-filled game that took every bit of composure we had to get through it," said Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost, whose team will meet Bowling Green (25-4) for the state title at 10 a.m. Saturday. "We were able to get through it ... and we came out with a win.

"We live to play another day."

Boessen's blow gave Blair Oaks its first lead iof the day in this tightly-contested battle between two good teams and two great pitchers --- pitchers who were a combined 44-1 entering the day.

For Blair Oaks (28-5), junior Makenna Kliethermes (22-1) scattered seven hits and struck out 11 to get the win.

For Lathrop (27-2), junior Brooke Huitt (23-1) was the tough-luck loser --- although she performed like anything but a loser --- as she pitched a four-hitter and fanned eight.

"Nothing was easy against her.," Buschjost said. "She's special --- she was getting it done as a hitter and a pitcher today."

The Mules took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on Huitt's one-out homer. It was a blast that provided a lot more drama than just the home run itself, as center field Boessen gave us a scary moment when she crashed into the fence.

"In her mind," Buschjost said, "she was going to catch that ball, no matter what. Thank God, she wasn't hurt."

In the fifth --- and after Huitt had retired the first 13 Lady Falcons --- Boessen reached on an error to break up the perfect game. The junior later scored when senior Torie Thurston broke up the no-hitter and the shutout, as her one-out RBI single made it 1-1.

"She's been getting that hit in the postseason, lately," Buschjost said of Thurston. "She had several good at-bats today ... she's just putting the ball in play and finding ways to get on.

"That was a huge sigh of relief (to tie it)."

Lathrop had some scoring chances to break the tie, but Kliethermes was at her best when they needed her most.

"She was, and there were so many times when we needed her at her best," Buschjost said. "She was faced with a lot of pressure situations today and she handled herself beautifully."

The Lady Falcons, meanwhile, went down in order in six of the first eight innings. They had a chance to take the lead in the sixth, however, when they put runners on first and second with one out, but Huitt pitched out of the jam.

Then came the ninth. Kliethermes singled leading off and was bunted to second, bringing up Boessen.

"If I had to hand pick someone in that situation," Buschjost said, "it would be her or Makenna."

Good choice, as Boessen drove home the game-winner on a shot down the third base line.

"From the beginning of the game, Brooke was all-business," Buschjost said. "She's a no excuses kind of girl. She thinks everybody should get it done, and that person today was Brooke Boessen.

"It fell in her lap --- and she got it done."

On this day, you could call this a second chance for Boessen, who made the final out in the sixth with the go-ahead run in scoring position.

One year later, you could also call Saturday's game a second chance for the entire team, as Blair Oaks is back in the state championship bout after dropping a heart-breaking 3-2 decision to Centralia last year.

This semifinal win, Buschjost said, was the perfect tune-up for what's to come.

"I told the girls after the game that if this didn't make us tougher for (Saturday), I don't know what possibly could. We just battled through the game of our lives and came out winners.

"We know how to fight and we'll continue to fight tomorrow."

Count on it, because this teams lives up to its motto --- Focus, Fight and Finish.

And the finish line is now in sight.

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