LADY COLONEL SOFTBALL

The Whitley County Lady Colonels traveled to Paintsville over the weekend and played in the Battle By the Creek at Johnson Central High School. The Lady Colonels finished fifth out of the eight teams.

The Lady Colonels opened play against the 18^th ranked Clark County Lady Cardinals.

Clark County scored three runs in the top of the first inning then added one in the second and two in the third before the Lady Colonels settled down.

Whitley County threatened to score in the bottom of the second when Ashley Lindsay hit a one-out double to left field. Sizemore followed with a base hit to left field. Lindsay headed around third and tried to score, but was gunned down at the plate.

Jadon Dopel reached base on an error before Angela Hicks hit into a fielder’s choice. A strike out to Brooke Gibbs ended the inning.

Caitlyn Walden hit into an error with one-out in the bottom of the third, but was left stranded.

All-State pitcher, Amy Haggard retired the next seven batters before the game was called because of the time limit.

“This was a very good tournament,” said Lady Colonels coach David Halcomb. “The coaches and administration at Johnson Central should be commended for putting on such a good event, especially considering the weather they had on Thursday.”

“It was a nice experience for our kids to get to play against good teams that we are not familiar with,” said Halcomb. “I am really pleased with the way we competed, with the exception of one game. We played fairly well against Clark County, but just missed a couple opportunities to score early in the game.”

“I am proud of the way our team responded after a dismal performance against Walton-Verona, when our girls played like they had never been on a softball field before,” Halcomb said of the 17-3 loss.

“However, we bounced back and won two straight,” he added. “Our win over Estill County was a big win, they are a really good team. We need to win games like this to help our team gain confidence. I am really encouraged by the way we have hit the ball so far this season.”

“Our lack of hitting cost us several close games last year, and was the biggest area we needed to improve upon and I think we have made strides to get close to where we want to be,” he said.

•The second game Saturday morning saw the Lady Colonels demolished by the Walton-Verona Bearcats. Whitley County fell behind 4-0 in the first inning and was down eight runs going into the bottom of the second. Ashley Lindsay and Simbree Sizemore scored for the Lady Colonels in the bottom of the inning.

Lindsay led off with a double to left field and Sizemore followed with a double to left center. A one-out single by Angela Hicks sent Sizemore home for an 8-2 score.

Walton-Verona added a run in the top of the third. The Bearcats exploded for eight runs in the top of the sixth to put the game away.

•In the final pool game, the Lady Colonels took on Shelby Valley. Whitley County jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first then added three runs in the second for a quick 7-0 lead.

The four runs in the bottom of the first was aided by three Shelby Valley errors. With two outs, Ashley Lennon hit into an error at third. Clarissa Garcia followed with a base hit and when Hicks hit into an error by the shortstop, the bases were loaded.

Lindsay answered with a hit down the left field line as Lennon and Garcia scored for a 2-0 lead. Freshman catcher Jadon Dopel hit into an infield error as Hicks crossed the plate. Whitlie Rose dropped a slow roller in front of the pitcher and was safe on the play. The hit allowed Lindsay to post the fourth run of the inning.

The Lady Colonels scored three in the second and two in the third for a 9-1 lead. Garcia scored her second run of the game in the bottom of the fourth after leading off the inning with a double to left field. She scored on an infield hit by Dopel.

Walden got the win on the mound, allowing just two hits.

•The win was all the spark the Lady Colonels needed as they faced Estill County for fifth place. The Lady Engineers are the five-time 14^th region defending champions and were voted once again to take that title.

Whitley County fell behind 2-0, but scored eight runs in the top of the second inning to lead, 8-2. The Lady Colonels sent 12 batters to the plate with Garcia scoring twice in the inning. At one point, Whitley County had six straight singles.

The Whitley County defense came up with a key play in the bottom of the third with Estill County making a threat to score. With one out and bases loaded, Kaitlyn Travis hit to right field. Amber Dopel caught the fly ball and threw out the running going home for a double play.

Sizemore added a solo run in the top of the fourth. The Whitley County shortstop hit a one-out single to center field. Lennon drew a walk before Garcia came up with an EBI single to center field for the 9-3 lead.

•Whitley County will travel to Pineville Thursday before heading to Cocoa Beach, Florida next week.

Walton-Verona 17, Whitley Co. 3

Walton-Verona            441  008- 17  16  1

Whitley County            020  001-   3    8  5

   Ginn and Mosier. Walden and Dopel. 2B-Lindsay (WC). Sizemore (WC).

Whitley Co. 10, Shelby Valley 4

Shelby Valley                        001  030-   4    2  5

Whitley County            432  10x- 10  12  2

  Sawyers and Tackett. Walden and Dopel. 2B-Lennon (WC), Lindsay (WC), Garcia (WC).

Whitley Co. 9, Estill Co. 4

Whitley Co.             080  100  0- 9  10  4

Estill Co.            210  001  0- 4    5  4

   Lindsay and Dopel. Dawes and Flynn. W-Lindsay, L-Dawes. 2B-Arvin (EC).