Fastpitch Highlights- So Close! Kittens Fall in Extra Innings

So Close!

Kittens Fall in Extra Innings

James Collier

For the Ashland Beacon

16th REGION SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

CHAMPIONSHIP

ROWAN COUNTY 5 ASHLAND 4 (8 INNINGS)

Ashland was one strike away from a bid to the state tournament multiple times in the final frames of the 16th Region Championship with Rowan County Saturday evening in Morehead.

Ashland led the contest 4-2 with two outs and no one on in the seventh for Rowan County but the Vikings rallied to plate a pair of runs to force extra innings. With two outs in the home eighth, Rowan County’s Ryleigh Howard smashed a solo shot over the left field wall for her first home run of the year to lift Rowan to a 5-4 championship win.

Ashland jumped out early with three runs in the second and another in the third, but the Vikings did not allow more than four hitters to come to the plate in any inning after. Brookelyn Duckwyler paced the Ashland offense with a double and triple and a pair of RBIs.

SEMIFINALS

ROWAN COUNTY 9 GREENUP COUNTY 5

Rowan County raced out to a 6-1 lead over Greenup County in the 16th Region Semifinals only to watch the Musketeers close the gap with two swings of the bat. Maddy Steele hit a three-run bomb followed by a Laela Matthew solo blast to cut the Vikings lead to 6-5. But Rowan answered back with three runs of their own to hold off Greenup, 9-5.

Rowan roughed up Musketeers starting pitcher Josey Kegley with 11 hits while handing her the only loss on the season from the circle. Steele smacked a solo shot and drove in four for the Musketeers. Matthews had three hits. Charleigh Grayson added a double.

ASHLAND 12 EAST CARTER 6

Jenna Delaney had a grand day for Ashland in the region semifinals.

The Sophomore went 3 for 4 with a double, grand slam and four RBIs to lead Ashland past East Carter, 12-6.

Brookelyn Duckwyler crushed a grand slam. Aubrey Foster and Zoey Smith both went 2 for 3. Smith doubled and drove in a run. Addi Laine and Aniyah Caldwell drove in a run. Laine fanned seven from the circle.

OPENING ROUND

ROWAN COUNTY 5 BOYD COUNTY 0

Boyd County fell, 5-0 to Rowan County to open the 16th Region Tournament. Elyn Simpkins, Jadyn Goad, Savanna Henderson and Myla Hamilton collected the four Lions hits. Simpkins allowed four hits from the circle and struck out six.

GREENUP COUNTY 17 WEST CARTER 0 (3 INNINGS)

Laela Matthews did some yard work for Greenup County to open the 16th Region Tournament. The junior crushed a pair of home runs, went 3 for 3 and drove in six as Greenup cruised past West Carter, 17-0 in three innings. Khloe Warnock, Maddy Steele, Madison Ross, Charleigh Grayson and Laiken Cooper collected doubles in the win.

ASHLAND 3 BATH COUNTY 1

Three of Ashland’s six hits were two baggers in their opening round battle with Bath County Monday. Emma Pinson, Zoey Smith and Jenna Delaney doubled to give Ashland enough to hold off Bath, 3-1. Smith drove in a pair of runs. Aubrey Foster drove in the other run. Addi Laine struck out five from the circle.

EAST CARTER 2 RACELAND 0

With one swing of the bat, Raceland watched its postseason hopes fly over the left field wall as East Carter took a 2-0 lead in the sixth.

Those two runs would be all the Raiders would need to hold on for a 2-0 win over the Rams. Shelby Gauze and Ally McMackin collected the lone Rams hits.