KY PREP CLASSIC

The Lady Colonels might have gone winless in the Kentucky Prep Classic at North Laurel last weekend but coach David Halcomb feels his team played very well.
“Overall, I thought our girls played hard and competed very well,” said Whitley County coach David Halcomb. “We played against some of the state’s best teams. Certainly I would have liked for our girls to have hit the ball better, but I think that by seeing the type of excellent pitching we saw, it will only help us in our preparation for our district and regional tournament.”
The Lady Colonels battled the No. 5 ranked North Laurel Lady Jaguars in the first game. North Laurel scored three runs in the bottom of the second for a 3-0 lead. Whitley County answered two innings later when Annie Wilson drew a walk, stole second and went to third on a passed ball. She scored on a two-out single up the middle by Paula Powell.
The Lady Colonels left five runners stranded in the loss.
The met Dixie Heights in the second game and the 17th ranked Lady Colonels took a 7-0 win.
Whitley County again left five runners stranded and got four hits against Kara Kordenback, one of the state’s top junior pitchers.
Larue County, who knocked off the state’s top ranked team only a week earlier, held the Lady Colonels to just three hits in a 6-0 win.
Sarah Bourland got a single in the top of the second but was left on base. Jessica Fritts hit a two-out single in the top of the fourth and Maggie Thornsberry had a single in the fifth.
In the final game of the round-robin tournament, Whitley County forced Shelby Valley into the international tie-breaker to win 8-7.
The Lady Colonels trailed 7-2 entering the final inning because of the time limit, but scored five runs in the top of the sixth. They held the Lady Wildcats scoreless and the tie-breaker was used in the seventh inning.
Shelby Valley scored a run in the bottom of the inning to get the win.
In the fifth inning, the Lady Colonels posted five hits including a two-run double by Wilson.
The tie-breaker saw Bourland go to second base to start the inning. Thornsberry opened the inning with a base hit.
Miranda Archer followed with a grounder to short that moved the runners to second and third. They would be left stranded when Stella Draper popped out to second and Wilson grounded out to third to end the inning.
“We have to play more consistently, both offensively and defensively,” said Halcomb. “During this tournament, I thought Sarah Bourland, Brittany Fox and Linda Sawyers made some of the most outstanding plays in the field I have seen all year. However, a few batters later, we may make an error. So, the big thing right now is for us to buckle down and become more consistent.”
Senior Samantha Hundley and sophomore Annie Wilson were named to the all-tournament team. “I just can’t say enough about Samantha’s work ethic,” said Halcomb. “She has worked so hard to develop her pitching skills to where they are now. I thought she pitched well this weekend – our defense just didn’t back her up at times.”
“She only walked a few batters and to throw three games in one day against teams of this caliber is a testament to her drive and determination,” said Halcomb.
“Annie just simply had a phenomenal tournament. She did an outstanding job behind the plate, and hit the ball hard as well,” said Halcomb. “Annie is only a sophomore and keeps getting better and better. If she continues to work, the sky is the limit for her.”
•The Lady Colonels returned to regional action Monday with a 15-4 win over the Lady Mountaineers of Oneida Baptist.
Hundley led the Lady Colonels with four runs. She was able to reach base on three OBI errors and a double.
Wilson and Fritts also doubled in the win. Paula Powell was two for four with three RBI’s.

Monday, May 16

Whitley Co, 15, OBI 4
OBI 202 000- 4 8 5
Whitley Co. 028 104- 15 12 1
Hundley and Wilson. Gibson and Bales. WP-Hundley, LP-Gibson. 2B-Wilson (WC), Hundley (WC), Fritts (WC).

North Laurel 5, Whitley Co. 1
Whitley Co. 000 100 0- 1 3 2
North Laurel 030 200 x- 5 9 0
Hundley and Wilson. Sears and House. WP-Sears, LP-Hundley.

Dixie Heights 7, Whitley Co. 0
Dixie Heights 030 040 – 7 6 1
Whitley Co. 000 000- 0 4 4
Kordenbrock and Gronefeld. Hundley and Wilson. WP-Kordenbrock, LP-Hundley. HR-Gronefeld.

Larue County 6, Whitley Co. 0
Larue Co. 011 400- 6 7 0
Whitley Co. 000 000- 0 3 3
Rice and Miller. Hundley and Wilson. WP-Rice, LP-Hundley

Shelby Valley 8, Whitley Co. 7
Whitley Co 000 115 0- 7 12 5
Shelby Valley 004 030 1- 8 6 3
Hundley and Wilson. Bentley and Hall. WP-Bentley, LP-Hundley. 2B-Wilson (WC)