Confidence key in Lady Aces’ win over DCHS

April 12, 2019 | 1:11 am

Updated April 12, 2019 | 1:11 am

Owensboro Catholic picked up a big win by getting past Daviess County 6-4 at home Thursday. | Photo by Ryan Richardson

Owensboro Catholic twice fought back from a one-run deficit, eventually outlasting Daviess County 6-4 at home to pick up another 9th District softball win.

The Lady Panthers (7-6, 1-1) took a lead only two pitches in when Savanah Northern sent a ball over the fence in left-center field, but the Lady Aces (6-5, 2-0) immediately responded. Camille Conkright singled and Danielle Henning hit a two-run homer in nearly the same spot that the first ball went out.

Catholic head coach Jeremy Phelps said his girls came ready to play, so they weren’t discouraged when they went down early. After overcoming a 7-0 deficit Wednesday, the Lady Aces knew one run wasn’t a big deal.

“We gained confidence the other night,” he said. “This team can hit, we just have to keep putting it together. They were excited about this game, finally getting to play another district game. You don’t have to get girls motivated for a game like this.”

Catholic added a run in the second inning when Isabella Henning hit a two-out double to score Katie Hayden.

The Lady Panthers rallied in the top of the fourth to go back in front by scoring three runs. Emma Young was hit by a pitch, Sydney Howard drew a walk and Emily Stanley singled to load the bases. Hannah Clark hit into a fielder’s choice to knock in one runner and Greysee Whiteker doubled to score the other two.

Catholic again wasted no time with a response, this time taking the lead for good. Isabella Henning hit a double and was driven in by her sister Danielle Henning, who then scored off a single up the middle by Hannah Carter.

The final run came in the bottom of the fifth when Brooke Simone doubled and was then driven in by Hayden.

Daviess County head coach John Biggs said after going back down by two, the Lady Panthers struggled at the plate.

“We chased too many balls that were out of the zone,” he said. “Credit (Owensboro Catholic), both pitchers did a good job of mixing things. When they had that two-run lead, even when they got behind in the count, they weren’t afraid to put someone on base. We weren’t disciplined enough.”

Biggs said it’s still early in the season, but Daviess County has to improve their approach at the plate.

“Either there’s going to be a change made, or there’s going to be a lot of similar results,” he said. “This group is pretty receptive, but right now we’re struggling.”

Catholic’s Lexi Hatchett struck out the side in the sixth inning and worked around a leadoff double in the seventh to close out the win.

Hatchett picked up the win in 3.2 innings of work, giving up no runs on three hits and striking out three. Hadley Phelps went 3.1 innings and also gave up three hits.

The offense was led by Danielle Henning, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs.

“She’s a leader,” Phelps said. “She shows it on the field. She’s not going to let anybody get down. She’ll keep them up and keep them motivated.”

Isabella Henning went 3-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in a run.

For Daviess County, Whiteker had a pair of doubles and two RBIs, while Northern had two hits including the home run. Starting pitcher Clark took the loss in five innings of work, giving up 10 hits.

The win pushed Catholic into an early first-place position in the 9th District standings. Phelps said it gives them a boost going forward as they try to continue to improve.

“We’re setting the bar and trying to get better every game,” he said. “We’ll be where we want to be at by the time we get to the end of the season.”

DCHS 100-300-0—4-6-4
OCHS 210-210-x—6-11-0
WP: Hatchett. LP: Clark. 2B: Whiteker 2 (DC), I. Henning 2 (OC). HR: Northern (DC), D. Henning (OC).

April 12, 2019 | 1:11 am

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