Fastpitch Highlights: May 23, 2023 

James Collier

The Ashland Beacon

64th DISTRICT SOFTBALL

BOYD COUNTY 9 ASHLAND 3

   Savanna Henderson went 3 for 4 with a double to lead Boyd County to a 9-3 win over Ashland in the 64th District Championship. Kyli Kouns, Jaycie Goad, Sara Bays and Elyn Simpkins each had a pair of hits. Reagan Robbins, Emily Shivel and Goad added doubles.

   Kylie Thompson tossed a complete game for the win. She allowed seven hits and only two earned runs.

   Erin Patrick went 3 for 4 for Ashland. Katie Samuel drove in a pair.

   Boyd County defeated Fleming County in the opening round of the 16th Region Tournament  Ashland jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and held on for a 6-2 win over East Carter. The Lady Lions faced Lewis County Monday night and Ashland squared off against Rowan County.

ASHLAND 10 FAIRVIEW 0 (5 INNINGS)

   Katie Samuel allowed two hits in a 10-0 shutout win over Fairview in the opening round of the 64th District Tournament. Patrick went 3 for 3 and drove in two. Maddie Kersey homered and drove in three. Jenna Delaney had a triple with 2RBI.

   Carole Shannon and Kailyn Adkins had the lone Fairview hits in the loss.

   Fairview closes the season 15-12.

63rd DISTRICT SOFTBALL

LEWIS COUNTY 1 RACELAND 0

(10 INNINGS)

   The 63rd District Championship was a pitching showcase highlighted by Lewis County pitcher Emily Cole and Raceland pitcher Davanna Grubb. Cole fanned 19 and pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth and tenth to put the Lions in position to grab a 1-0 win over the Rams. Grubb allowed only two hits, both coming in the final stanza, while tossing 9 2/3 innings of no-hit ball while striking out five. Grubb was perfect through 6 2/3 before a two-out error gave the Lions their first runner of the night.

   Reagan Mackie had a double in the tenth for the Rams. Peyton Mackie and Makenzie Bradley singled for the other two Rams hits.

   Lewis County defeated West Carter in the opening round in the 16th Region Tournament and faced Boyd County Monday night. Raceland ended its season at 19-15-1 with a loss to Rowan County.

RACELAND 8 RUSSELL 6

   Peyton Mackie went 4 for 4 and reached base in all five plate appearances as Raceland defeat-ed Russell, 8-6 in the opening round of the 63rd District Tournament. Kali Vance went 2 for 3 with a double. Makena Francis and Kaitlin Kartchner added doubles and drove in a pair. Grubb added a 2RBI single.

   Ava Howard hit a pair of home runs and drove in three for Russell. Lili Smith and Haylee Thornsbury added long balls, too.

   Russell closes its season at 13-19.

LEWIS COUNTY 4 GREENUP COUNTY 0

   Lewis County took an early 1-0 lead on Greenup County and a three-run blast by Emily Cole in the sixth gave the Lions a 4-0 win over the Musketeers. Skyler Lawrence went 2 for 3 in the loss. Maddy Steele had the other Greenup hit. Kaylie Lawrence allowed seven hits and struck out three in the loss.

   Greenup closes its season at 17-11.

Be Nice Campaign Takes Flight with 5K Run

Raises Awareness for Protecting Majestic Animals

By Pamela Hall

Ashland Beacon

Have you ever wondered what happens when a wild bird has an injury? If they are found, can they be treated and released back into the wild?

Guardian Animal Medical Center in Flatwoods has been successful in treating and rehabilitating wild birds such as owls, hawks, kestrels, and other birds of prey. However, a new flight cage is needed at the facility in order to make their recovery complete.

To assist in the cost of a flight cage, Guardian Animal Medical Center is having a 5k run or 1 mile walk called “Paw Walk”. The event will be held on Saturday, May 20 at 8 a.m. and is open to participants of all ages. The cost is $25 and registration may be made online at https://tristateracer.com/race/12158.

Those who are participating will receive an aqua t-shirt with a unique design. The stunning shirt depicts a hawk fearlessly taking on the “unkindness” of the world. Wearing the shirt will help to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and conserving these majestic animals.

“We came up with this year's race shirt after weeks of thought and input,” Dr. M. J. Wixsom said. Dr. Wixsom is the veterinarian who owns the animal hospital and treats the birds. “For the last two years,” she continued, “the hawk on the shirt has been swooping down on a mouse with ‘COVID’ written on it. The shirt designers recommended we stay with the hawk theme, but change the mouse.”

The shirt’s new design reinforces a message that Dr. Wixsom recently began to stress heavily on Facebook. She started a campaign about being nice and showing kindness to others. That is certainly a message of which everyone needs to be reminded.

“We had lots of suggestions, but none really fit,” Dr. Wixsom explained. “The suggestions were too limited, too vague, too political, or too unimportant. Then I started the “Be Nice” campaign on Facebook and that led to this year's shirt design.”

The course for the event, starting, of course, at Guardian Animal Medical Center, is a flat terrain journey for the first mile that loops back to the facility. The walkers will navigate that part of the course. For those participating in the 5k portion, the course will continue down the hill to Giovanni’s and back up the hill to the facility.

There is also a virtual aspect of the event for those who wish to complete the race from the comfort of home.

“Whether you're an avid runner, a leisurely walker, or prefer the comfort of your couch,” Dr. Wixsom stated, “we have an option for everyone to get involved and contribute to a worthy cause.”

So, grab your sneakers and rally your friends and family and come to “Paw Walk” at Guardian Animal Medical Center, Saturday, May 20 at 8 a.m. Register at https://tristateracer.com/race/12158. Together, we can make a difference for our feathered friends.

Special Concert For A Special Lady

Lisa Patrick

Ashland Beacon

        Karina McBride has been a fan of the country music singer/songwriter, Jeff Bates, since she first saw him in concert seventeen years ago. When she turned twenty-one, her mother surprised her with a large party at the Skytower including a private concert by her very favorite artist.

        This year, Karina turned 27 and she had decided a while back that she wanted another private concert with him to celebrate it. Her mother told her that was fine, but that this time she would have to pay for it herself. So, Karina got a job at Gattitown in Ashland and started saving back the money to pay for the concert.

     Working and saving money is hard for most people, but Karina was determined to make her wish come true. She put back portions of every paycheck to pay for her birthday present to herself. This determination is made more impressive by the fact that Karina is not a neurotypical 27-year-old adult. Karina was born with Down Syndrome.

Finding an employer willing to take a chance on hiring someone with an “alleged” disability is not always easy, but Karina was not fazed. She got her job, and she worked hard. Within a week, her hours were increased and have never been decreased except at her request for family activities and/or vacations. Though she sometimes faces ridicule from some of her customers, it doesn’t stop her from showing up for work the next day because, “I love my job. I really do.”

When she raised enough money for the concert, she booked the date for her concert. At first, it was going to be at her family home but the weather was not going to cooperate so the location got moved to the Union Hall at the Paul Coffey Industrial Park instead. Karina’s mother, Michelle Woods, said that Karina was so excited when Jeff Bates walked through the door that “happy tears” started pouring down her face.

Bates knows Karina fairly well. She travels to see him anytime that he has a concert within driving distance of Ashland. He makes sure to acknowledge her at all of them. He has previously commented that he wouldn’t be a very good musician if he didn’t take the time to appreciate that someone this special enjoys his music.

As Bates played and sang, Karina took turns dancing to her favorite songs and walking around the room welcoming all of her friends and family who had come to celebrate her birthday by listening to her favorite music with her. Karina even talked some of her family and friends into getting up to dance with her. She shared a special dance with her “stepfather,” Mike McCullough, during one of her favorite slow songs.

At the end of the concert, Bates posed with Karina for a picture to mark this special concert. While posing, he sang a song just for her which made her smile from ear to ear. Woods said, “That smile says it all.” She said that the night was “worth all of the chaos just to see that smile and the happy tears.”

Karina has no plans to quit her job. In fact, she’s already planning on working harder to save back the money to bring Bates back for another private concert next year.

Jeff Bates will be touring with country music artist Trace Adkins this summer.

May Is National Egg Month

Grace Phillips

Ashland Beacon

It is the age-old question…which came first the chicken or the egg?  Well of course, it was the chicken…right?  Without the chicken, you couldn’t have an egg.   Oh, WAIT!  Since chickens are hatched from an egg it had to be the egg…pure and simple.  While we can debate this question for hours, and I am sure I know the real answer, I would rather just talk about the egg.  

May is National Egg Month, which has been observed since the 1960s with different months sharing the honor.  In the 1990s, the National Egg Board established May as the month to bring attention to all the benefits found in eggs. 

The average person in the United States consumes approximately 279 eggs per year.  That’s a whopping 95 million eggs nationwide per year!  Whether fried, sunny side up, well done, scrambled, hardboiled, poached, or in omelets, eggs are full of protein and health benefits.  Here are a few surprising facts about eggs.

Eggs contain all the nutrients our body needs except for vitamin C, and they are one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D.  We all have been told that carrots are good for your eyes, but so are eggs.  They contain lutein that prevents cataracts and muscle degeneration. 

Eggs are high in cholesterol.  Trans fats and saturated fats are bad for people with high cholesterol; however, it is now known that cholesterol from your food does not affect cholesterol levels in your blood. The American Heart Association has revised its guidelines on eggs because there are NO trans fats in them.

I conducted a totally unscientific survey for this article with some surprising results. When asked the question: How do you prefer your egg and given the choices of scrambled, fried over easy, fried hard yolk, hardboiled, or in an omelet, scrambled was overwhelming the egg of choice coming in at 48%.  Fried over easy was next with 22% while hard-boiled and fried-hard yolk came in at 11%.   Only 8% of those answering preferred them in an omelet. 

At the first of the year, egg prices had soared to $7 or more per dozen.  Many people decided they would get their own chickens, so they didn’t have to depend on the fluctuating market prices.  Sounds like a great idea, but is it really that simple?

Sherry Risner has been raising chickens for a few years now, so I asked her some basic questions.   She told me that a chicken begins laying eggs at about 5-6 months old.  Each chicken will lay an egg each day.  So, a person is not going to buy baby chicks and have eggs in just a short time.  You also have to have quite a few chickens to provide the eggs you will need each week since they only lay one a day.  Risner has enough chickens to supply her family’s needs and is also able to sell eggs to family and friends.   

I asked if her chickens all laid the same color eggs.   “I have chickens that lay brown eggs and ones that lay white eggs.  It depends on the chicken breed as to what color the shell is.”  Risner continued “I’ve heard people say that brown eggs are healthier, but the truth is they have the same nutritional value whether the shell is brown or white.”

When asked if it was really worth all the trouble to raise your own chickens she said, “That is a difficult question to answer.  It depends on a person’s definition of “worth.”  Feed has increased in price and to lay well and have good shells you need to occasionally give them oyster shells...you can sell the eggs for about $3 per dozen.  Overall, raising chickens for eggs is beneficial because they are richer and just taste better than store bought.  By the time you buy feed and care for them, you really don’t make a profit, but it is definitely worth it for me to have country eggs!” 

Have you ever wondered if you can still safely eat an egg after the expiration date on the carton?   Eggs are porous.  As they age, they take in more air, and an air pocket forms.  Simply get a cup of water.  Place the egg in the water, and if it floats, it has a large air pocket and is old.  You should pass on eating it.  If it sinks to the bottom and stays, generally it is safe to eat.   

A few more fun facts about eggs— 

The older a chicken is, the larger eggs she lays, but also the thinner the shells are.  Younger chickens lay eggs with thick shells. 

If you drop an egg and break it on the floor, pour a heavy amount of salt on it and cleanup is easy. 

Speaking of dropping an egg that is raw…exactly how can you determine if you have a raw egg or a boiled egg?  Simply give the egg a spin.  A hardboiled egg will spin quite easily, but a raw egg will just wobble. 

“The incredible edible egg” was a marketing slogan from the American Egg Board in 1974.  Who knew that such a simple food as an egg could benefit our health in so many ways and still taste so good?  Enjoy the rest of National Egg Month, and cook up some “egg-citing” dishes for your family. 

For more information on eggs, their nutritional value, recipes, and incredible egg trends, visit the American Egg Board website at incredibleegg.org.