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| Lady Indians find momentum, earn region berth |
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5/26/2017
By Dan Manley
Advocate Sports Editor
Just a week ago the Montgomery County High School softball team had a 7-18 record and were staring at a district matchup with Bourbon County.
Recalling a 16-1 loss to the Lady Colonels back on April 27, that looked like a sure early out in post-season play and what many might have considered the poorest season in the last two decades of the program.
But then a funny thing happened on the way to the 40th District Tournament.
Last week, the Lady Indians were 0-4 in district play and the district tournament bracket appeared to be set. The lineup had already been sent out because there appeared to be no way the Indians could avoid the four-seed that would put them opposite Bourbon County, the team with the best record in the 10th Region.
On back-to-back days, Montgomery County topped Paris, 7-4, and Clark County 10-0 to completely change things.
Those two victories forced a three-way tie for second place, each team owning a 2-4 district record while Bourbon County had already finished 6-0.
Under that scenario the tie is broken based on the number of runs allowed in the head-to-head games involving the three teams. Paris had allowed the fewest (18) and then, based primarily on the 10-0 win over Clark County, the Indians edged out the Cardinals, 25-27, to take the No. 3 seed.
The 10-0 victory over the Cardinals was quite a turn-around from the 15-4 loss the Lady Indians suffered earlier in the year to the Lady Cards.
So, just as they had done a year ago, when they carried an 8-22 record into the district tournament and then scored back-to-back upset wins over Bourbon County and Clark County, the Lady Indians moved into district action and secured a win Monday evening over Paris to set up a Tuesday night date with Bourbon County for the 2017 district crown.
Coach Robert McCoy’s squad did it with a combination of pitching and defense.
The Lady Indians simply out-battled Paris in the hard-fought 7-4 regular season win, a game that featured a combination of pitching and offense.
Then came the decisive matchup with Clark County and junior righthander Cameron Reddix had the best game of her career as she needed just 70 pitches in the six-inning contest, allowed just one hit, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
Claire Brandenburg’s base hit broke up her no-hit bid.
So now the Lady Indians are headed into the 10th Region Tournament, no matter what happened Tuesday night against Bourbon County.
The regional tournament draw will be held later in the week and the tournament is expected to begin Monday at Clark County.
Here’s a closer look at the district semifinal win and the two late-season wins in district action:
MCHS 10, Paris 5
Reddix worked the first four innings and then got great relief help from the Lady Indians two young hurlers, Caroline Donithan and Taylor Alfrey.
Donithan has been sidelined almost the entire season with an arm injury but came in and threw two innings of shutout relief. She didn’t allow a hit with a strikeout and two walks.
Then freshman Taylor Alfrey worked the final inning, allowing a hit and a walk but keeping the Greyhounds off the scoreboard.
Lexie Donithan, Macy McCoy and Paige Oldfield led the offensive attack.
McCoy, the leadoff batter, and Oldfield, batting in the No. 9 spot, were the table setters for the Tribe’s offense.
They each had three hits and scored three runs. Oldfield had two singles and a triple and McCoy had two singles and a double.
McCoy got things going in the first inning when she singled and eventually scored on a passed ball.
The Lady Indians took advantage of eight Paris errors, including multiple errors that led to a three-run sixth inning that sealed the deal for Montgomery County.
Donithan had a double and a triple and Kristen Stephens also had a double and scored a run.
Junior hurler Amanda Morgan of Paris deserved a better fate.
She struck out 16 and didn’t walk a batter and only four of the 10 runs she allowed were earned.
While Montgomery County improved to 10-19, the Lady Hounds, who had won four in a row entering the district, finished their year with a 17-18 record.
MCHS 10, Clark County 0
Junior righthander Cameron Reddix hurled the best game of her career so far as she blanked the Lady Cardinals on only one hit.
Meanwhile, her teammates shortened her work day by putting 10 runs on the scoreboard and ending the game in just six innings.
Reddix threw 70 pitches, struck out three, didn’t walk a batter and had to face just two batters over the minimum as one Clark County hitter reached on an error.
While Reddix was limiting Clark County to only one hit the Lady Indians collected a baker’s dozen in the game.
Kaitlyn Barber’s run-scoring single put the Lady Indians on the scoreboard in the first inning and Montgomery County broke the game open with a five-run third.
Eight different players had hits for Montgomery County with Lexie Donithan collecting three of their 13 hits including a triple.
Angel Kidd also had a double and drove in a pair of runs while Abi White and Kristen Stephens each had a pair of hits and drive in a pair of runs for the Tribe.
Macy McCoy had a pair of hits and score twice as the Lady Indians evened their season series with Clark County.
Brandenburg had the only hit in the game for the Lady Cards and it came in the opening inning.
MCHS 7, Paris 4
Taylor Alfrey came in and threw five strong innings of relief as Montgomery County knocked off Paris to set up the decisive game with Clark County.
Cameron Reddix worked the first two innings on the mound and game up a couple of runs, just one earned on six hits including a home run to Kailee Finch.
But while Reddix gave way Alfrey on the mound she went on to lead Montgomery County at the plate.
Reddix had three hits and drove in three runs while Kristen Stephens had two hits and scored a pair of runs.
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