Despite making consistent loud contact, Daviess County couldn’t buy a hit – a recurring theme during yesterday’s 7-0 loss to Henderson County in the second round of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Softball State Tournament.
Henderson County’s Anna Kemp, who was perfect through four – didn’t allow a baserunner till the fifth when she walked Molly Hancock. The Lady Panthers broke up her no-hitter an inning later on a Danielle Beckwith single, but even when the team was able to get traffic on base, they couldn’t fully capitalize.
“Their pitcher is really good and she was good today and last night,” Daviess County head coach John Biggs said. “She kept us off balance and mixed up her pitches. We seemed to have a hard time barreling up some balls, and the balls we did hit well, it was right at them.”
The game started Friday evening but after two quick outs in the top of the first, play was called for the first of three rain delays. After play resumed, Henderson County took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Mackenzie Burczyk grounded into a fielder’s choice. Kamryn Timmons struck out Kemp to limit the damage.
Fighting off the rain, Timmons weaved herself in and out of trouble. In the bottom of the third, she allowed a leadoff double and then struck out the side to strand the runner – letting out a roar as she walked back to the dugout. In the bottom of the fourth, play was delayed for the third time that evening and the game was suspended for the night.
“That was a situation that both teams had to deal with,” Biggs said. “It’s not the best-case scenario, but it’s not like one team had an advantage. It’s just one of those things about softball. You control the things you can control, and that’s what we talk about all the time.”
Play resumed the following afternoon, and Sophia Cain took the mound for the Lady Panthers, pitching herself out of a bases-loaded jam. Daviess County’s first real scoring opportunity of the game came in the fifth after Hancock led off the inning with a walk. She was able to advance to third on a ground out and sacrifice bunt, but Briley Henry grounded out to end the inning. The Lady Colonels added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
Sadie Morris, Kylie Clark, and Beckwith had the team’s lone hits, while Hancock reached base twice.
Daviess County is losing two seniors to graduation – Beckwith and Morris.
“Those kids have been around for a while,” Biggs said. “They are tireless workers. Sadie is one of those freak athletes that you get her on base and she can really cause some problems. Danielle puts in so much extra time. The leadership they provided and the way they led… So I can’t say enough about those two kids.”
