Whitley escapes

Whitley County softball coach David Halcomb was glad to get out of Log Mountain with a 7-4 win over the Bell County Lady Cats Thursday night. “We didn’t play our best but managed to come out with a win,” he said Monday.
Bell County (4-7) spotted the Lady Colonels a 4-0 lead in the first inning when pitcher Tracy Laws had trouble getting the ball over the plate. Ten players went to the plate with four crossing the plate on no hits. Seven players were awarded first base, six by way of the four-ball count and one, hit by a pitch.
Laws loaded the bases in the top of the first, issuing three walks in a row to Stella Draper, Kayla Grubb and Linda Sawyers. She hit Jessica Fritts with a pitch to force in Draper. Laws nearly got out of the inning by striking out the hard-hitting Paula Powell and Samantha Hundley.
However a patient Anie Wilson drew a walk followed by Amanda Archer and Brittany Fox. Their walks pushed Whiltey County ahead 4-0 before Taylor came in to strike out Draper and end the frustration for the Bell County coaches.
The Lady Cats worked their way back into the game with two runs in the bottom of the third and one each in the sixth and seventh innings, trying the score at 4-4.
“They had a chance to win the game a couple of times,” said Halcomb. “But, we made some big defensive plays that kept us in the game.”
Halcomb credited Linday Sawyers and Stella Draper for some of the biggest defensive plays in the game. “Linda made four or five put outs that kept them from winning the game,” he said.
“Draper made a shoe-string catch in the seventh that would have won the game for them if she had not made the catch,” said Halcomb. Bell County had runners at second and third when Oliver hit a short fly ball to leftfield. Draper made the shoe-strong catch and the game went into extra innings.
In the 8th inning, Baker led off with a double before Hundley retired the side with the help of Sawyers and Draper. Draper made two catches in leftfield to prevent the rally.
Whitley County led off the top of the ninth with back to back walks to Fritts and Powell, but the a runner was left stranded when Hundley popped out to second, Wilson hit a fly ball that was caught in rightfield and Powell was caught trying to steal second.
The Lady Colonels (6-1) put things together in the top of the 10th. Fox led off with a walk followed by a Draper single. Grubb moved the runners up a base with a grounder to first base.
Sawyers then drove in Fox with a base hit while Draper held at third. Sawyers quickly stole second base as Tasha Perkins grounded back to the pitcher for the out, but Draper scored on the play for a 6-4 lead. Paula Powell answered with a base hit, scoring Sawyers for the final run. Hundley followed with a base hit and Wilson reached on an error as Whitley County loaded the bases and threatened to blow the game open.
Hundley kept the Lady Cats in check in the bottom of the ninth to get their fifth win of the young season.
•Hundley recorded her first career perfect game Friday with a 15-0 shutout of Knox Central. Hundley retired all nine batters she faced in the three-inning game called by the mercy rule.
She had two strikeouts in her sixth victory of the season against one defeat. From the plate, Hundley was two of three with a double and triple. She also had three RBI’s in the win.
Whitley County will play in the Capital City Classic this weekend, but before they do they will have two tough games. They will host the 13th ranked South Laurel Lady Cardinals Wednesday with Clay County coming to town Thursday.
In the Capital City Classic, the Lady Colonels will meet three teams mentioned the current state high school poll. Franklin County, Louisville Holy Cross and Henry County. All three programs are strong wth the Lady Flyers of Franklin County a consisent top 25 team.
Whitley County will take on Holy Cross out of the sixth region in Louisville Friday night before meeting Henry County and Franklin County Saturday morning.
“We’re going up there and will do the best we can,” said Halcomb. “It will show the girls how we stack up with some of the top teams in the state.”

Whitley Co. 400 000 000 3- 7 7 1
Bell Co. 002 001 100 0- 4 11 3
Hundley and Wilson. Laws, Taylor, Laws and Dixon. WP-Hundley, LP-Laws. 2B-Oliver (BC), Baker (BC), Denny (BC), Hundley (WC).

Knox Central 000- 0 0 3
Whitley Co. 5(10) – 15 13 0
Collins and Mills. Hundley and Wilson. WP-Hundley, LP-Collins. 2B-Hundley (WC), Archer (WC). 3B-Hundley (WC).