The E-gals grabbed two wins on Saturday, while Owensboro split its games and Daviess County came through late to grab a win as all three teams wrapped up their regular season.
Owensboro vs. Thomas Nelson, Hart County
The Lady Devils split their doubleheader on Saturday, losing to Thomas Nelson 6-5 in game one and winning 12-3 over Hart County in game two to close out the Abe Lincoln Classic.
Owensboro opened up the day strong, grabbing the first runs and lead of the game against Thomas Nelson thanks to an error that plated two runs in the top of the first. But the Generals responded swiftly, getting an RBI single from sophomore Emma O’Daniel and a solo home run from junior Maggie Sweeney.
Thomas Nelson kept its foot on the gas in the bottom of the second, grabbing two runs on a single from junior Lauren Fulkerson to take a 5-2 lead into the third. But after back-to-back scoreless innings, the Lady Devils found the answer they needed.
An error and a dropped third strike gave Owensboro runners on first and second with no outs, before sophomore Emmi Connor was safe at first on a squeeze bunt to make it a 5-3 game. Another sacrifice bunt led to a run with two outs, before a fielder’s choice allowed another run to score and tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the fifth.
However, due to a time limit, Thomas Nelson got one last chance and took advantage of it. A single and an error led to an intentional walk of O’Daniel, thus loading the bases. Sweeney then sliced one to third and sophomore Sophie Moorman mishandled it, allowing a run to score and Thomas Nelson earned the walk-off 6-5 win.
Freshman Kirsten Tindle tossed all four innings for Owensboro, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two. Tindle was also a leader offensively, joining Connor and Moorman as the only players with RBIs on the day.
The Lady Devils’ luck was turned around in game two, opening up the game with a strong first inning. It was started by sac fly from Moorman, making it the first run of the game and a 1-0 lead for Owensboro. An RBI triple from freshman Ellington Embry and an error that plated one more run followed, before an RBI from sophomore Paige Hughes gave them a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.
Hart County responded with three runs in the bottom of the first, but the Lady Devils bounced right back. A sac fly from freshman Addison Hill opened up the scoring in the top of the second to make it 5-3.
A triple from Moorman followed, when she later scored on a passed ball to take a 7-3 lead going into the bottom of the second. Owensboro didn’t let up in the top of the third, as an error and double led to an RBI groundout by eighth grader Reese Boswell. Connor added a run on an infield single shortly after, before Moorman sent a three-run shot over the center field fence to take a 12-3 lead.
This was more than enough run support for eighth grader Kierstin Hughes to close the door on a 12-3 win. Hughes pitched the last two innings in relief, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out one.
Senior Brooklyn Keller got the start, allowing one earned run on four hits, a walk and one strikeout in one inning. Offensively it was Moorman who led the way with a whopping five RBIs on a 2-3 day.
Owensboro sits at 11-19 overall to close out the regular season, as they will now turn their attention to a 9th District Tournament first round matchup with Daviess County at 6 p.m. on Monday.
Apollo vs. Great Crossing, Bowling Green
The E-gals grabbed a weekend sweep to close out the regular season on Saturday, defeating Bowling Green 15-6 and Great Crossings 3-2.
Apollo started off the day with a bang, grabbing a plethora of offense early on against Bowling Green. The E-gals opened up the scoring with a leadoff homer from sophomore Mallory Velotta, before a two-run single from junior Emmie Bullington and a fielder’s choice gave them a 4-0 lead going into the second.
Apollo got two more runs in the bottom of the second, but it was the following inning where they truly expanded their lead. An error and two singles had the bases loaded for the E-gals, when senior Olivia Crawford singles to make it a 7-0 game.
Velotta followed with an RBI single to left, before Julain hit a two-run single to center to give Apollo a 10-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Bowling Green did bounce back and six runs over the course of the fourth and fifth inning, but the E-gals offense answered right back.
Apollo grabbed four runs over the bottom of the fifth and sixth, helping them secure a 15-6 win over the Purples.
The E-gals had a number of contributors offensively, as Velotta, Julian, Bullington and eighth grader Hannah Holder all had two RBIs each. Bullington also had a solid day in the circle, allowing one hit in her two-inning start.
It was Bullington who came up big again in game two against Great Crossings, tossing a complete game en route to the 3-2 pitcher’s duel victory.
The Warhawks were able to grab the first run and lead of the day in the top of the first thanks to a sac fly, but Apollo quickly responded with an RBI single from junior K’Asia Palmer to knot things up at 1-1 going into the second.
Following a scoreless second and third inning, Apollo chipped in a run in the fourth on a home run from Palmer and a run in the fifth on a fielder’s choice by Velotta to take a 3-1 lead into the sixth. Great Crossings did get one more run in the top of the sixth to cut its deficit to 3-2, but Bullington locked back in to close out the 3-2 win.
Bullington tossed all seven innings for the E-gals, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, while walking two and striking out four. Offensively it was Palmer who led the way, tallying two RBIs on the day.
Apollo has won four straight now, as they sit at 17-13 overall going into a first round 9th District Tournament matchup with Owensboro Catholic at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Daviess County vs. Warren East
It took nine innings to find a winner between Daviess County and Warren East, but it was the Lady Panthers who came through late to grab a 3-2 win.
The Lady Raiders started off the game strong, getting an RBI single from freshman Lydia Jones in the first and sophomore Madison Hymer in the second to take an early 2-0 lead. However, the Lady Panthers finally broke through in the third.
Two singles and a walk quickly loaded the bases with one out and it was senior Katie Mewes who singled to left to score two and knot the game up. Then, junior Raylee Roby of Daviess County and senior Emma Markham for Warren East took over the game.
Neither team was able to string any hits together to turn them into runs, as the game went scoreless from the fourth and into the eighth inning of the game. Tied at 0-0, it was the Lady Panthers who were able to come in clutch.
An error left a runner on base and two outs for senior Hattie Newman in the top of the ninth and she came through with a single to center to give them a 3-2 lead. Roby then finished her complete game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, closing the door on a 3-2 win.
Roby tossed all nine innings, allowing one earned run on eight hits, while walking two and striking out nine. Markham also pitched the entire game for Warren East, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out seven.
Mewes led the way offensively with two RBIs on the day, while Newman was the only other player to record one for Daviess County.
The Lady Panthers improve to 25-5 overall with the win in their regular season finale, as they now turn their attention to the first round of the 9th District Tournament matchup with Owensboro at 6 p.m. on Monday.
