MOUNT VERNON — Senior Night for the nine seniors on the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets softball team was an especially emotional event.
The only thing that marred the day for this group of girls, their teammates and their parents was dropping a 12-7 decision to visiting Big Walnut in their Ohio Capital Conference home finale.
But the players didn’t go down without a fight.
Down 8-0 after five innings, the Mount Vernon seniors led a Yellow Jacket uprising, putting on another display of tenacity, which is their trademark.
“There’s no quit there,” said Mount Vernon coach Mike Marcum. “They fought for it but it just fell a little bit short. You’ll have days that way.”
The game was closer than the score indicated. The Jackets loaded the bases in the second inning and had runners at second and third in the third inning, but came up empty. Then they came out fighting in the sixth.
“That is the best group of girls, bar none, that I have ever been involved with,” said Marcum. “Their teamwork, attitude — the whole thing — they’re just a great bunch of kids, really.”
Jackets catcher Amber Woodford doubled with third baseman Kayla West aboard. Taylor Kelly followed with an RBI single to score West. Abby Lyons cleared the bases with a two-RBI triple, but was thrown out overrunning the bag at third.
