What had been expected to be a close game proved to be the opposite Monday when the Logan County Lady Cougars’ softball season came to an abrupt end at the hands of Coach Calvin Head’s Todd Central team in the 13th District Tournament at Russellville.
The Lady Rebels had won the two regular season games by two runs each time, but the third time wasn’t a charm for Logan. Todd won this decisive game 12-2 in five innings.
Junior Maddie Abbott and freshman Sierra Morrow showed why Coach Michael Crawford has them at the top of the batting order. Abbott got the only two hits the Lady Cougars managed. Both were doubles, and she scored each time, thanks in large part to Morrow’s efforts at the plate and on the base path.
After Abbott doubled to start the game, Morrow sacrifice bunted her to third. A couple of pitches later, Abbott scored the game’s first run on a passed ball.
No Lady Cougar reached base again until Abbott came up with two outs in the third. Again she doubled. Both of the doubles might have ended in singles for less aggressive base runners. Lady Rebels pitcher Kayla Watkins struck out Morrow, but catcher MIkayla Bilyeu lost control of the ball. Morrow sped toward first and Bilyeu’s throw sailed into right field. Abbott scored and Morrow made it all the way to third.
Abbott twice and Morrow once were the only three baserunners Crawford’s team had in the entire game.
The Lady Rebels, on the other hand, put 17 runners on base. Loren Addison led off with a hard-hit ball to right center in the first inning, but Lady Cougar freshman Cierra Johnson ran hard and caught the line drive before it could take off to the fence. Taylor Gilliland followed with a double, Watkins blooped a single over second base, and Natalie Perry hit a ball hard on the second base side of first base. Megan Griggs dived for it, but it got by her and both runners scored.
In the third inning, Kara Walters walked, Shelby Dorsey bunted for a single, and Addison hit a fly ball to left that bounced off Rebecca Dezarn’s glove. Both runners scored. Gilliland walked, and Addison scored on a passed ball. Gilliland tried to go to third, but catcher Victoria Cates threw her out with Abbott making the tag.
Logan infielders dropped two balls in the third inning, but Griggs and second baseman Shelby Browning made up for those mistakes right away by catching line drives. Pitcher Shelby Milam got out of the inning without giving up a run.
Todd added three runs in the fourth on two Logan errors, Michaela Robertson’s RBI hit, and Watkins’ sacrifice. Perry got her third RBI on a groundout. When Walters singled to start the fifth and Milam booted Dorsey’s comebacker to the mound, freshman Meagan Ferguson came on in relief. She struck out Gilliland, but Watkins powered a two-run double. Robertson’s RBI groundout to Morrow at short ended the game on the 10-run rule.
Addison, Gilliland and Bilyeu were all on base three times while Watkins, Perry, Hilary Sweeney, Walters and Dorsey reached twice each for the Lady Rebels.
Todd Central advanced to the district finals where the Lady Rebels were defeated 4-0 by Franklin-Simpson.