Twice, Apollo threatened late in the game, loading the bases in the sixth and bringing the tying run to the plate in the seventh, yet Daviess County Head Coach John Biggs remained with his starter. Storey Hume rewarded him in kind, escaping both jams to secure the Lady Panthers a 5-2 victory and their seventh straight 9th District Championship.
“I thought our focus was really good. Apollo came out in the first inning, hit some balls hard, and barreled some balls up, and I think we knew it was game on,” Biggs said. “…Storey made the pitches when she had to. That last pitch she made was clutch on a hitter that was in a 2-0 count with two people on, and to go with that off-speed pitch, she executed very well.”
Apollo added some traffic on the bases to start the game, but Hume stranded two runners to record a scoreless first. In the bottom of the second, Hume flexed her versatility, singling home Callie Smith to put the Lady Panthers up 1-0.
Apollo seemed on the verge of tying the game in the top of the fourth, but MollyHancock flashed her defensive skills in rightfield to end the inning.
“I see it off the bat, and I’m thinking it’s out,” Biggs said. “I’m looking, and she’s got a beat on it, and I’m thinking if she has room, she’s going to catch the ball. She just comes up with it.”
Riding the momentum of Hancock’s catch, the Lady Panthers padded their lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an Annie Newman groundout and an Apollo defensive error that scored two.
Leading 4-1 in the sixth, Hume retired the first two batters before issuing back-to-back walks to Keelan Wettstain and Liza Page. Mollie Julian singled to load the bases, and Hannah Holder worked a bases-loaded walk to cut the lead to 4-2. Hume stranded the bases loaded after getting Annsley Hall to fly out on one pitch.
“I had to not get worked up about it,” Hume said. “I had to brush it off, stick to what I know how to do best, and I didn’t really let if effect. I just had to work out of it.”
The Lady Panthers offense immediately earned that run back in the bottom of the sixth after Shelby Bennet laced a one out triple and scored on an Newman sacrifice fly.
Down to their final three outs, Kaylee Booker walked to lead off the seventh and advanced to second on an Arianna Ramirez single. Hume quickly recorded two outs on a fielder’s choice and a pop-up, but Wettstain singled to cut the lead to 5-2. Three pitches later, Hume retired Page on a pop up to end the game.
Hume threw a complete game in the circle, allowing two earned runs and striking out five over seven innings. Her counterpart, Mollie Julian, also threw a complete game, striking out five and allowing two earned runs over six innings.
“Mollie played well,” Apollo Head Coach Stephen Julian said. “I think she limited them to four hits. She threw well and I am proud of her.”
Next up for both teams is the 3rd Region Tournament scheduled for tomorrow at Daviess County High School. Kicking off the tournament is Hancock County and Ohio County at 10:00 a.m., while Apollo will take on Trinity (Whitesville) immediately after.
“We need to outscore the other teams and survive and advance,” Stephen Julian said. “…We played Trinity once this year, and it was a really good ball game. They’re a really solid team, so we will have to play our A-game to advance.”
The third game of the opening round will see Daviess County take on Edmonson County, and rounding out the day is Muhlenberg County vs. Meade County.
“We will just stay ready, and once we get to Region, you really have to work to win it,” Hume said. “I am also really happy that we get to host.”
