Less than 24 hours after their 9th District Tournament final on Friday, Daviess County and Owensboro Catholic hit the field again as each hit the Natcher Parkway and headed south on Saturday for the 3rd Region Softball Tournament at Butler County.
Despite slow starts offensively from both teams, the Lady Panthers were able to edge Meade County 3-0 while the Lady Aces held off a late run from Muhlenberg County to advance to the semifinals with a 6-3 win over the Lady Mustangs.
DC will play the host Lady Bears at 2 p.m. Sunday while Catholic will play Hancock County at 4 p.m. in the second semifinal. The championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Butler County.
Daviess County 3, Meade County 0
The Daviess County Lady Panthers came into Saturday fresh off their 9th District Tournament title on Friday but were dealt one of the more difficult matchups in the first round when they drew the Meade County Lady Waves in their first game of the 3rd Region Tournament.
“We really didn’t have a whole lot of time to look and really enjoy what we did last night because you’ve got to get focused for the task at hand today,” DC coach John Biggs said. “I thought we were focused. Raylee probably wasn’t as sharp as she has been but defense stayed behind her. They got those two baserunners on early and we were able to shut that down.”
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Millie Roberts started the bottom half of the frame with a single. Jessie Daniels brought the runner home with a double then advanced to third on the throw. Meade then tried to throw out Daniels at third but an errant throw sent the Lady Panther first baseman home to give DC a 2-0 lead after four.
Biggs said they weren’t as patient as he would have liked in the early going but he knew the bats would wake up.
DC added their final run in the bottom of the fifth when Roberts had an RBI single to make it 3-0.
“Jessie’s been doing that all year, coming up with a big timely hit for us,” he said. “Millie with some two-strike hits and got on base. For her to help us, she doesn’t have to hit home runs. She’s just got to get on base for us. Whether that’s walking or just putting the ball in play.”
Biggs said they saw more at the plate each time they went through the lineup.
“What I’ve seen with this group, better than any group I’ve probably had, is communication from our batters when they come back in,” he said. “They’re constantly talking in the dugout about what’s going on out there, what the umpires calling, what she’s starting out with. That communication and then they use that for their next at-bat. Whether it’s making some adjustments in the box, making some adjustments of what they’re looking for. Our philosophy is we’re looking for pitches we can hit.”
Raylee Roby earned the win in the circle for the Lady Panthers as the sophomore retired 13-straight batters at one point in the game.
Daviess County now advances to the semifinals where they’ll take on Butler County at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Biggs said he knows the Lady Bears have some standout players but they have to focus on themselves first.
“We approached not so much about our opponent, it’s about what we need to do,” he said. “That’s been our approach all year. It’s one down, we’ve got another opponent in Butler, which had a great year.”
Owensboro Catholic 6, Muhlenberg County 3
Much like Daviess County in the second game of the day, the Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces couldn’t find their footing offensively in the first few innings.
Coach Jeremy Phelps said the region tournament brings a different atmosphere but he thought it’d be a little louder in Morgantown.
He said Friday’s came could have been a factor for each teams slow start.
“Last night’s game may have had a little bit of an effect but at the same time, I think the competition and what’s at stake,” he said. “You know somebody every game is going home. I think that’s the bigger deal there. You don’t know how to handle that adversity right there.”
Hadley Phelps got the start and the win in the circle for the Lady Aces but Phelps helped herself out at the plate in the top of the fifth.
Phelps took a pitch up and over the left field wall to give Catholic a 1-0 lead. After a single by Hannah Carter, Bailey Hamilton followed the lead of her starting pitching and sent one over the fence to give Catholic a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth.
“It took us two times through the lineup so third time through the lineup, we changed our approach at the plate,” Phelps said. “When they changed pitchers, I felt like we were looking at different pitches right there. That helped tremendously and we barreled a couple of them up.”
After three more from Catholic in the sixth, the Lady Aces led 6-0 before the Muhlenberg County offense found its form.
The Lady Mustangs scored four runs in the next two innings but it wasn’t enough as Catholic earned the win and the right to play Sunday for a shot at Monday’s championship.
Phelps said it was good they got to watch the fourth first-round matchup Saturday as it had been a long 24 hours.
“I’m glad that we can get to watch this game other than someone watching us,” he said. “They need a little bit of rest. I told them to get plenty of fluids … You could tell it’s taking a toll on you and especially in a longer game. You’re not getting five-inning games, not at this level. It’s going to get tougher and tougher.”
Catholic plays Hancock County at 4 p.m. in Butler County.
