The E-gals stayed hot for a second straight win on Friday, while Owensboro Catholic and Daviess County couldn’t string together much offense and fell in its respective matchups.
Apollo vs. Union County
Two big innings offensively helped the E-gals to fend off a late push from Union County, ultimately grabbing an 8-6 win at home.
After junior K’Asia Palmer scored on a passed ball to open up scoring on the day, it was Union County who quickly took charge in the second. Freshman Sydney Thomas doubled to right to lead off the inning, which was followed by an RBI groundout from freshman Bryleigh Walsh that knotted things up at 1-1.
An error and single thereafter led to runners on second and third with two outs for eighth grader Ashlynn Hargrove. She proceeded to single to left field, scoring both to take a 3-1 lead into the third.
The Bravettes grabbed another run in the top of the third, but Apollo’s offense bounced back in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Emmie Bullington started the scoring for the E-gals, taking advantage of a leadoff single and error to get an RBI on a groundout to cut their deficit to 4-2.
Palmer came through the following at-bat with an RBI single and two batters later eighth grader Arianna Ramirez doubled to knot the game up at 4-4. An RBI single from freshman Hessi Johnson came next, giving Apollo a 5-4 lead entering the fourth.
Union County knotted things back up at 5-5 in the top of the fifth, but once again the E-gals had a response. Following a leadoff double from Palmer, Ramirez doubled again to left field to plate the first run of the inning.
A hit by pitch then landed runners on the corners for Apollo with two outs, before a two-run single from senior Courtney Hagan gave them an 8-5 lead going into the sixth. After a scoreless sixth inning, the Bravettes made one last push.
A one-out double and walk put two runners on base for Union County, before one runner scored on an error after a strikeout. However, the Bravettes flew out the following at-bat, giving the E-gals an 8-6 win.
Ramirez and Palmer led the way offensively as they both collected two hits, while leading the team with a pair of RBIs for Ramirez and one RBI from Palmer. Bullington and Hagan both recorded an RBI as well.
Bullington nearly went the distance, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing five runs—three unearned—six hits and two walks while striking out 11 on the day.
The win is Apollo’s second straight, as they will have a few days off before they take on a district opponent in Owensboro at 6 p.m. at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins
The Lady Aces inability to stifle Madisonville-North Hopkins offense proved crucial on Friday, as they fell 13-0 on the road.
A hit by pitch and a walk to start the bottom of the first set the Lady Maroons up for a big score, getting a three-run home run from junior Brenna Sherman to take the lead. Thanks to an RBI single from junior Zoe Davis and a two-run home run from freshman Jaycee Noffsinger, Madisonville-North Hopkins grabbed three more in the bottom of the second to take a 6-0 lead.
The Lady Maroons didn’t stop there either, getting a seven-run bottom of the third that would ultimately be a nail in the coffin. Only able to record three hits themselves, the Lady Aces were handed a short-game defeat at 13-0.
Junior Lilli Grant, Abbie Dukate and Kira Edwards were the only players to record hits for Owensboro Catholic. Junior Lexy Hatchett gave us six runs—three earned—on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts in two innings.
Junior Brooke Hamilton tossed two innings herself, giving up seven runs—five earned—on seven hits while walking none and striking out one.
Back-to-back losses has the Lady Aces sitting at 3-3 overall, while they have a quick turnaround with a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Muhlenberg County on Saturday.
Daviess County vs. McCracken County
The Lady Panthers didn’t have the same luck offensively in their second game of the season as they did their first, falling to McCracken County 8-0 on Friday in their first game of the McCracken County Early Bird Tournament.
The Lady Mustangs set the tone for the game right away, grabbing two runs in the first inning thanks to a two-run single from sophomore Karleigh Walker. After a scoreless second, McCracken County grabbed two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Throughout the game Daviess County found themselves with some scoring opportunities, but were never able to break through. The Lady Mustangs continued to take advantage, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth inning to wrap up an 8-0 road loss for the Lady Panthers.
Junior Raylee Roby had a rough day in the circle, giving up eight runs—seven earned—on 10 hits while walking three and striking out nine. Offensively, senior Kinsey Verganon was the only player for Daviess County to record two hits.
The Lady Panthers will get right back to work on Saturday, taking on Goreville at 1 p.m. and Marshall County at 5 p.m. to close out the tournament.
