For a sixteenth straight year, Daviess County softball held its annual Team Laura Tournament this past Saturday, raising money to help families dealing with cancer or other illnesses. Longtime mainstays Hancock County, Pleasure Ridge Park, and Heritage Hills were joined by Lyon County and Warren East as six games were played throughout the day.
“The whole thing about this is we discuss how it is a time for us to step back a little bit on the softball aspect and think more of the support and awareness and remembering people who have been affected by cancer,” Daviess County Head Coach John Biggs said. “…Many times, I have had people tell me it is the highlight of their season to play in this tournament. It is an opportunity for our girls to give back and our parents to come together.”
Kicking off the tournament against Lyon County, the Lady Panthers found themselves in a 2-0 first-inning hole, but found their stride in the bottom of the third.
Molly Hancock singled home Kylie Clark to put her team on the board, Callie Smith doubled her home to tie the game, and Briley Henry put her team ahead with a single. The fourth inning was reminiscent of the third, with Hancock, Smith, and Henry combining for five RBIs.
The trio combined for six hits and seven RBIs, while Clark scored twice and finished 2-4. After a shaky top of the first inning that saw her give up a two run homer, Storey Hume was a different pitcher for the rest of the game. The senior struck out eight over six innings and only allowed one earned run.
“They jumped out on us, and then we were able to come back and barrel some balls up,” Biggs said. “We made some adjustments on the pitching. I thought the second and third time through the lineup, we started putting some balls in play hard. Storey settled in and kept them off balance with her off-speed pitches.”
Daviess County found themselves in a similar position against Warren East – trailing 1-0 after the top of the first. This time around, their response was immediate – Hancock hitting an RBI double and Smith crushing a two-run homer. The exclamation point came in the bottom of the sixth when Lilah Morris hit a two-run homer of her own.
Cain allowed one earned run and struck out seven over seven innings, while at the plate she finished 1-3.
Hancock County also finished their tournament run 2-0 with wins over Warren East and Heritage Hills 11-3 and 6-4. Jordyn Waltrip was a major catalyst in their dominant performance, finishing 2-6 with a homer and four RBIs.
Ava Riggs and Gracie Gaynor were also on a different level, combing for nine hits and six RBIs. Bella Bryant and Gaynor both pitched complete games for the Lady Hornets, allowing a combined three earned runs and striking out nine over 14 innings.
“I have known John a long time, and this is a great cause he puts on,” Hancock County Head Coach Dwayne Wroe said.” “He does a great job, and the girls really like coming down here and playing in it. They do a great job of running it, and it’s for a great cause. As long as I’m here, were will keep coming down here.”
