A strong start offensively was a crucial factor for the Lady Raiders on Tuesday, as they hit their way to an 11-7 win over Grayson County to advance to the 12th District Championship.
The Lady Cougars tried to set the tone for the game in the top of the first by grabbing a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from sophomore Hannah Franklin, but Trinity (Whitesville) didn’t let them keep it for long.
They got three straight singles to start the inning, before tying the game on a sac fly from junior Abby Payne and scoring a run on a wild pitch and an error to take a 3-1 lead into the second. Grayson County responded gy getting two runs in the top of the second, but the Lady Raiders wouldn’t allow momentum to shift.
Trinity got three runs in the bottom of the second to reclaim the lead at 6-3, before adding one more on an RBI single from sophomore Macie Aguilar in the third to make it a 7-3 game going into the fourth. The Lady Raiders kept the pedal to the metal in the bottom of the fifth, getting a three-run home run from senior Cassidy Morris and a solo homer from senior Kat Hibbitt to take an 11-3 lead.
The Lady Cougars matched Trinity’s efforts with four runs of their own in the top of the sixth, but junior Allie Graham came in and closed the door in the seventh to help the Lady Raiders claim the 11-7 win.
Junior Allie Barnett allowed three earned runs on 11 hits in six innings pitched, while walking three and striking out four. Graham sealed the deal for Trinity, tossing a scoreless and hitless seventh inning.
Morris and Hibbitt led the way offensively with their homers, recording three and two RBIs respectively while Payne, freshman Madison McDaniel and Aguilar all had one each.
