Taking a big step toward a berth in the two-three seeding of the 13th District Softball Tournament, the Logan County Lady Cougars won at Russellville 12-1 Tuesday, completing a regular season sweep of the Lady Panthers.
Freshman Jillian McLellan racked up three RBIs on three hits for Logan. She singled in the fourth inning, tripled in the fifth inning, and doubled in the sixth inning.
Russellville couldn't get anything going as long as seventh grader Abby Hinton was pitching. The Lady Panthers managed just two hits off of Hinton, who allowed one earned run, walked three and struck out four during her six innings of work.
Tara Gilbert was charged with the loss for Coach Calvin Head’s team. She allowed 12 runs in six innings, walked five and struck out one.
The Lady Cougars went up for good in the first, scoring three runs on an RBI double by Torrie Pollard and two singles. Seventh grader Kaylin Page, who is seeing a lot of playing time after recovering from a leg injury, walked to begin Logan’s offense on the night. It was the first of three walks for her in the game. Pollard doubled her in. Brea Croslin singled, Kennedy Nichols walked, and they advanced on Abby Canler’s groundout. Sydney Lee then singled. Page, Pollard and Croslin all scored.
Rosie Kerchenski doubled to lead off the second but was forced at third on a double play.
In the fourth inning, McLellan got the first of her three straight hits. Pressley Harris singled, Page walked, and McLellan, Harris and page scored on a passed ball and an error.
In the fifth, Lee singled with two outs and McLellan tripled her in.
During a five-run sixth, Kerchenski and Page walked, Croslin singled, and Nichols cleaned the bases with a double. Lee was hit by a pitch, and McLellan doubled in two runs.
Page scored three runs with Croslin and Lee scoring twice each. Pollard, Blayke Bingham, McLellan, Harris and Kerchenski each scored a run. Croslin had two hits. Lee joined McLellan and Page in being on base three times each.
Cierra Collins scored the lone Lady Panther run. She walked to lead off the fourth inning, advanced on Brooklyn Ray’s single and Johnea Pendleton’s ground out, and scored on Tonisha Hampton’s groundout.
Allison McDaniel got the only other hit off Hinton. Collins walked twice and Macy Meacham once.
Todd Central 7, Lady Cougars 5
The Lady Cougars had the lead going into the seventh inning in this district game, but Coach Leigh Bristow’s Lady Rebels scored three runs in the seventh to get the district win.
In that inning, Michaela Robertson singled, Tishe Lewis reached on an error, Whitney Higgins walked, Madison Mayes reached on an RBI fielder’s choice, and Rachel Bilyeu drove in the winning runs on a double.
Coach Brandy Trimble’s Lady Cougars had scored two runs in the first inning on singles by Pollard and Nichols, a walk by Page and a sacrifice fly by Canler. They added two more runs in the fourth on a single by Nichols, walks by Canler and Harris, and a sacrifice fly by McLellan.
A fifth run scored in the fifth when Pollard reached on an error, moved up on Page’s groundout and Nichols’ single, and scored on Canler’s single, but Lewis got Harris to force Hale at the plate.
Four Lady Cougars reached in the sixth but none scored. McLellan was hit by a pitch, Bingham reached on an error, Croslin walked and Pollard got on via an error, but nothing came from it.
Sarah Beth Hale got to third as a courtesy runner in the seventh after Kennedy reached base for the third time, this one on an error. Lewis, however, was pitching in relief of Tara Walters, and got groundouts from Canler, Bingham and Lee to end the game.
Only two of the seven runs Hinton allowed were earned. She gave up eight hits and three walks while fanning five.
It was Logan’s second loss to the Lady Rebels, who are close to becoming the number two seed.