Defending regional champion Allen County-Scottsville proved to be too big a challenge for the Logan County Lady Cougars to overcome in the first round
of the 4th Region softball tournament at Western Kentucky University Memorial Day.
The Lady Cougars managed only one base runner in five innings in the Lady Patriots' 10-0 win. Pitcher Kelsi Pardue, who is one of the state's best,
faced one batter over the minimum, but that one was a hit off the bat of senior first baseman Ann Dorris, who was named to the all-district team while
playing her first season of softball for LCHS.
That hit came as the leadoff batter in the fourth inning. Pardue then got catcher Victoria Cates and all-district performer Robyn Estes to hitinto
fielders' choices before striking out cleanup hitter Sheena Bilicki. Parude had six strikeouts.
The lone ball hit by a Lady Cougar into the outfield came off the bat of Cotton Hazel, who flied out to centerfield in the third inning.
Jordan Melton, who was the starting pitcher for Coach Toby Turpin's team for the second season, pitched out of a first-inning jam when she got a fly
out, a pop out foul to Dorris at first, and a comebacker to the mound. But the Lady Patriots scored four unearned runs in the second inning and never
looked back.
Melton joined Estes and Dorris on the all-district team.
Other Lady Cougars who started in the regional were Brianna Scott, Alecia Croft and Ashley Forgy. Cheyenne Bilicki and Kelsey Odle also played.
District Championship Game
Franklin-Simpson 3, Logan County 1
Estes scored Logan's lone run in the district championship game against host Franklin-Simpson. She led off the fourth inning with a double off starting
pitcher Kelli Fleming and scored on Sheena Bilicki's single.
The Lady Cougars also threatened to score in the last three innings against Fleming and reliever Jordan Gregory, who worked the final two innings. In
the fifth, Melton singled and made it as far as third. Sheena Bilicki doubled to lead off the sixth and Hazel followed with a hit, but they could go no
further. In the seventh, Melton got things started with a double, but F-S second baseman Katie McElroy Katie McElroy went high in the air to catch a
line drive off Cates' bat. The eighth-grader threw the ball to third to double off Melton to end the game.
Cheyenne Bilicki had opened the third with a single but was forced at second. Dorris also singled but they couldn't get either runner across.
Shortstop Mallory Johnson tripled in the Lady Cats’ first at-bat after Olivia Denning and Emily Dyer started the home half of the inning with
back-to-back singles..
Franklin-Simpson is coached by Steve Cauley, a former Lewisburg High School star who gave up his job at Logan Aluminum to go back to college and become
a teacher and coach. The Lady Cats beat some teams that had top 25 votes in the state, including Muhlenberg County and Greenwood. The Lady Cats, which
won 11 straight District 13 titles from 1997 to 2007, returned to the regional tournament after a two-year absence..
Franklin-Simpson 13, Russellville 0
The Lady Cats scored the 13 runs on 13 hits and five Lady Panther errors in the first four innings of the game, including a seven-run third in which
F-S send 11 to the plate. Catcher Hannah Cowan powered a two-run double in the second stanza and a two-run triple in the third. Third baseman Dyer hit
a pair of singles and scored three runs. Katie McElroy added a double and a single, driving in a run and scoring two. Mallory Johnson stroked two
doubles, knocked in a run and scored one. Designated hitter Anisha Travelstead also had two hits.
The Lady Panthers had some scoring chances. Nakia Daniel, starting her final game as a Lady Panther after seven seasons of varsity sports, opened the
RHS first with a walk, but she was stranded. In the second inning, Imani Hampton led off with a single, but that was wasted.
The best chance to score for Coach Veronica Johnson's team came in the third inning. Daniel walked again, and made it to third on a hit by Brittany
Hampton, but they were left in scoring position. Imani Hampton reached again as a leadoff batter, this time on an infield error by the Lady Cats. Again
she went nowhere.
The final inning of the season was memorable for long-time starting pitcher Tori Carnall, who got a hit in her final at-bat, but she was left on base
as the season ended.
Named to the all-district team were Carnall, shortstop Daniel and catcher Ashley Barbe.
Also starting for the Lady Panthers wree twins Courtney Barbe, Kaitlyn Harris, Callie Roche, LeAndra Hoosier.and the Hamptons.