The Apollo softball team claimed the No. 1 seed for the 9th District in convincing fashion. Using 15 hits and aggressive baserunning, the E-Gals were dominant in an 11-4 victory at Daviess County on Tuesday.
Apollo got on the board right away with a pair of runs in the first inning, but they broke the game open with an eight-run third frame that featured nine hits and a two-run homer by Abbie Gore. Winning pitcher Madison Julian allowed only two hits and two earned runs in 6.2 innings.
With the E-Gals (11-10, 5-1 9th District) earning the top seed outright, the Lady Panthers (14-11, 3-3) finish in a tie for second with Owensboro Catholic.
E-Gals head coach Stephen Julian said his team is always striving to finish first so they can have momentum heading into the postseason.
“It’s always a goal for us to be the one No. 1 seed so we’ve got confidence going in the tournament,” he said. “You still have to come ready to play and win that first game. Anything can happen, so you have to be ready to go.”
Apollo’s first two runs came on a two-out single by Hallie Wilson that drove in Brooke Brown and Gore. The Panthers got one back in the bottom of the first when a leadoff walk by Millie Roberts eventually allowed courtesy runner Sophie Simone to score on a double by Savannah Northern.
After a scoreless second inning, the E-Gals took control.
Gore singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a double by Wilson. A pickoff attempt from home to third ended with the ball getting away, and Gore was able to score while Wilson went to third. With two outs and a 3-1 lead, Apollo got seven consecutive hits that resulted in seven more runs.
Madison Julian singled, Keely Eans doubled and Mattie Lyons singled to drive in one run each for a 6-1 lead. Madison Shemwell dropped in a single to right and runners advanced to second and third before the throw could get in.
Brown hit a line drive to center to drive in Lyons and Shemwell, and Gore pushed a two-run homer to right field for a 10-0 lead. Stephen Julian said having runners in scoring position allowed the E-Gals to be aggressive on the base paths.
“When you have a runner at second base with two outs, you’re going on contact,” he said. “Girls kept hitting, and it was a huge inning for us. Then we were able to hang on. I was super proud of the girls and the way they came out ready to play.”
The Lady Panthers immediately got a run back in the bottom of the third. Roberts crushed a solo homer to left field well beyond the fence, but they couldn’t add any more until the fifth inning.
A pair of leadoff walks put Abbey Pike and Simone on with no outs. Abby Newman hit a hard ground ball and reached on a throwing error, allowing Pike and Simone to score before three consecutive fly balls ended the inning.
Lauren Whitehouse drove in Brown for an extra Apollo run in the seventh inning.
All nine starters for the E-Gals collected at least one hit on the day. Brown and Gore led the offense, both going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Wilson and Madison Julian each had two hits.
Apollo has won four games in a row, all against district opponents, and Stephen Julian is hoping to keep rolling. He said they’ve cleaned up their game some, and he wants to continue to stay focused as the postseason nears.
“We’re playing with some better energy, and maybe a little bit more confidence,” he said. “We’re throwing a lot of strikes and having good defense, and that helps out. It’s up to the girls to bring it. Hopefully they execute and play well.”
AHS 208-000-1—11-15-1
DCHS 101-020-0—4-2-2
WP: Julian. LP: Whiteker. 2B: Eans, Wilson (A), Northern (DC). HR: Gore (A), Roberts (DC).
