GRAVETTE -- When the softball popped off the bat of a Fayetteville player trying to put down a sacrifice bunt, Kelsey Pembleton immediately sprang out from behind home plate.
The ball popped up high enough in the air for the Gravette senior catcher to glove the ball before it hit the ground, getting the batter out.
That's when the trajectory of what was building to be a special season for the Lady Lions appeared to take a drastic and horrific turn.
After Pembleton made the catch just inches from the ball hitting the ground, the runner who was on first took several steps toward second base, not knowing that the pop-up was caught. Once she realized the ball had been caught, she tried to spin back around and head back to first base.
Pembleton did not notice Gravette pitcher Brooke Handle drifting toward the first base side of the pitcher's circle. Handle initially thought the bunt had hit the ground and Pembleton was going to throw to second base. She never saw Pembleton wheel to throw back to first, and Pembleton never saw Handle walk directly into the path of the ball that she had just thrown.
The neon softball traveled just a few feet before it smashed into the side of Handle's face. She immediately fell to the ground.
"Literally, the first thing I thought about when I saw the ball hit Brooke was, 'Oh my God, I just killed our pitcher,' " said Pembleton. "I literally just burst into tears because I knew she was hurt bad."
Handle went down on the turf and spit out blood after her cheek took the brunt of the damage. Gravette Coach Samantha Luther sprinted to her fallen player, not really knowing what to expect when she got to Handle.
"I grabbed a towel and ran to her thinking she probably lost some teeth or maybe worse," said Luther. "I've never seen anything like that on a softball field. I've seen pitchers get hit by a batted ball, or batters get hit by a pitch, but never anything like this."
Handle stayed down for a few minutes, somewhat in a state of shock. After she regained her composure and she assured her coaches and staff she was OK, she returned to the pitching circle and completed the inning.
"At first I could not feel anything," she said. "I guess it was numb or maybe just the adrenaline or whatever, but I felt fine. Like it was no big deal."
She grabbed her facemask, pulled it back down over her face and finished the game.
As the game wore on, the numbness started to give way to pain in her lower jaw. The pain got steadily worse as the game continued, but she pushed through it, ultimately getting the complete-game win 14-1.
"She assured us she was OK, and she pitched well the rest of the game," said Luther. "She wanted to finish the game."
It was just a couple of days later that Handle said she knew the injury was worse than she thought. The pain in her lower jaw persisted and she and her family made the decision to have her jaw looked at by a physician.
X-rays of the injury revealed a broken jaw.
"At first I was like it's not that bad," she said. "But when the pain got worse and worse, and I was having a hard time swallowing or opening my mouth. We felt like we needed to go have it checked out."
After the break was revealed, Handle's jaw was wired closed.
She missed the next two Gravette games, with sophomore Sydney Kildow taking over in the circle.
Eight days after the horrific play on April 10, Handle was back in the circle for the Lady Lions against Pea Ridge, a 5-4 win. For the next seven-plus games, she pitched with a full catcher's helmet and mask to protect her damaged jaw.
"Brooke is so tough, " said Pembleton. "I'm not sure I could do what she's done. It's been an inspiration to us, to see her out there. It's really kind of amazing."
Unable to open her mouth, Handle has had to go on a liquid diet.
Well, "liquid-ish" thanks to a blender.
"I have to take everything through a straw," she said. "I usually do protein shakes, but I've learned out to put food in a blender and eat that. Like, I've learned how to put quesadillas in the blender and eat that through a straw. It was actually pretty good."
In the finals of the 4A-North Regional tournament against Pea Ridge last Saturday, Handle came in for starter Kildow in the top of the fourth inning. She threw four scoreless innings to earn the win. She also took off the catcher's helmet and pitched in a conventional softball facemask, albeit a mask with considerably more protection around her lower jaw.
Handle still has not been able to bat, and Luther said she would not risk Handle getting hit from a pitched ball.
"She's a good hitter and we'd like to have her bat in the lineup, but we are trying to protect her," said Luther. "We can't afford for her to get hit there again."
Gravette (20-2) will open Class 4A state tournament action in Lonoke on Friday. The Lady Lions will take on the winner of the Nashville vs. Brookland game at 10 a.m. Friday. Gravette will carry a 14-game winning streak into the game, with its last loss way back on March 30 against Class 6A Bentonville.
Brooke Handle delivers a pitch for the Gravette Lady Lions in the 4A-North regional softball tournament. Handle suffered a broken jaw earlier this season and missed two games. When she returned to the field eight days after the injury, she wore a catcher's helmet for extra protection. Randy Moll/Westside Eagle Observer