The storylines were many in the Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriots dynamic 8-5 come-from-behind win Monday over Glasgow in the first round of the District 15 softball tournament at Monroe County.
First, three of the “smallest” players on the Lady Patriot roster played big in the win. Senior RaeAnn Stafford belted her first-ever home run to aid the AC-S comeback. Sophomore Jaylee Woods recorded a rally-starting triple in the third and junior Jordan Anderson singled to plate the go-ahead run in the fifth.
Then there is the story of sophomore pitcher Karley Burchett. With starting pitcher Kris-Anne Pardue struggling. Burchett entered the game with two outs in the third inning and her team behind 5-1. Burchett followed with 4.1 innings of work in which she allowed no Glasgow runs on six hits. Burchett also contributed with the bat, ripping a two-RBI single in the fifth that pulled AC-S even at five.
“I’m so thrilled for our seniors,” coach Robert Bunton said. “They will have at least two more games. And, I couldn’t be any more proud of our team.”
AC-S opened a 1-0 lead in the first. Kalee Skaggs led off the game with a single and later scored following a Glasgow error on a pop-up off the bat of Taylor Stamps. Glasgow countered immediately, plating three runs following singles by Amanda Lee, Kylee Jackson, Taylor Murphy, and Autumn Harlow. Lee followed with a two-run homer in the third inning to stake the Lady Scotties to a 5-1 lead---and chase Pardue from the game.
“I was a little worried,” coach Bunton admitted. “Kris-Anne is our ace but Karley has been pitching very good for us the last few weeks. She came out and did what she has been doing the last few games.”
Burchett walked the first batter she faced before inducing Jackson to fly out for the third out of the inning. In their at bat in the third, AC-S began to chip away at the Glasgow lead. Woods stroked a hard-hit ball to right field and then used her cat-like speed to race around the bases for a triple. Ryley Whitney’s sacrifice fly scored Woods to pull AC-S to within three, 5-2.
An inning later, Stafford would get her turn. With one out, the 5’2’ senior turned on a fast ball and belted her career-first home run beyond the left-center field wall, pulling AC-S to within two runs after four innings.
The Lady Patriots took control in the fifth. Stamps’ one-out single was followed by a single by freshman Madi Gregory. After moving to third and second on a Glasgow fielding error, Stamps and Gregory scored on Burchett’s line drive to left field.
“Karley’s hit was huge,’ Bunton said. “It was full count and she rips it to left field to tie the game. I thought to myself that this is our game now.”
Stafford lifted a loop single to center leaving her at first and Burchett’s courtesy runner, Kassi Bullington, at third. Following an out, Anderson’s single scored Bullington to give AC-S a 6-5 lead. Stafford and Anderson would score later in the inning following a Skaggs’ single and a Glasgow error.
Staked to an 8-5 lead, AC-S used solid defense and Burchett’s pitching to close out the game. The Lady Scotties loaded the bases in the sixth after three singles. However, Anderson would throw out Jackson on a force play at the plate and then gun down Katie Hinkley at first to end the inning. Glasgow put two runners on base in the seventh before Murphy grounded out to Gregory to end the game.
AC-S finished with 12 hits. Stamps went three for four at the plate to lead the way while Stafford and Skaggs enjoyed two-hit games. Glasgow (12-15) also had 12 hits in the game.
Despite a four-hit gem hurled by Allen
County-Scottsville junior Kris-Anne Pardue, the Lady Patriot softball team
could not produce a timely hit to score in last week’s 1-0 loss to Barren
County in the championship game of the District 15 softball tournament at
Monroe County.
Pardue---who struggled against Glasgow in the opening round of the tournament---bounced back with a complete game outing. Pardue threw 86 pitches in facing 23 Barren County batters, surrounded one run, and gave up four hits. Pardue recorded two strikeouts and gave up two walks.
Two singles and “small ball” proved to be the difference. In the fourth inning in a scoreless tie, Trojanette catcher Sonya Merritt singled to lead off the inning. Lara Simmons entered as Merritt’s courtesy runner. Using the strategy of bunting the ball to move a runner, fourth-hole hitter Mallory Pedigo executed the sacrifice bunt to perfection. Pedigo was out at first but Simmons was in scoring position at second. Madison Hagan followed with a single giving the Trojanettes runners at the corners with one out. Conner Groce hit a slow-roller to AC-S’s second baseman RaeAnn Stafford who elected to field the ball and fire to the plate. Her throw was late allowing Simmons to score. AC-S escaped further damage when Hadleigh Hammer grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The run in the home-half of the fourth finished a disappointing inning for AC-S---started when the Lady Patriots just missed a run in the top of the inning. After Ryley Whitney singled to start the fourth, Taylor Stamps’ sacrifice bunt moved Whitney’s courtesy runner Alex Coleman to second. After madi Gregory popped up for an out, Pardue did her part to help her own cause---singling to centerfield. Coleman was waved home by AC-S coach Robert Bunton. Barren County’s Hayden Sutherland fielded the ball cleanly and delivered a strike to the plate. Merritt made the catch and tagged Coleman on the shoulder to deny AC-S a run.
The Lady Patriots threatened again in the fifth. Stafford opened with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ally Byrn. Jordan Anderson drew a one-out walk. Lady Patriot leadoff hitter Kalee Skaggs hit a grounderto third baseman Madison Hagen who stepped on the bag to force Stafford out. Jaylee Woods’ fly out ended the threat.
AC-S would leave the game-tying runner on base in both the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, a pair of ground ball outs failed to move AC-S runners from first to second. In the seventh, Byrn drew a one-out walk but her pinch runner, Kassi Bullington, was left on the bag after a fly out by Anderson and a pop-up by Skaggs. For the game, AC-S left seven runners on base.
Pardue held the Trojanettes at bay the rest of the way---with a little help from her defense. After getting Barren County in order in the fifth, a Stafford to Gregory double play helped stop a threat in the sixth.
Barren County pitcher Jordan Crist earned the win. Crist gave up five hits in the game---singles by Whitney, Stamps, Pardue, Stafford, and Anderson---struck out three and walked three. Crist threw 97 pitches.
The AC-S loss marked just the second time since 1998 that AC-S has failed to win the District 15 championship. However, the Lady Patriots will advance to the Region 4 tournament.