The Lady Spartans have been a power player in the 4th Region for the past several seasons, but this year they seem to have all the parts to finally get the job finished. First order of business was to start off fast in the first round of the KHSAA State Tournament against Elizabethtown, the 5th Region Champion and their Ace Taytum Spiers. The junior hurler hadn’t allowed a run in three straight Region Tourney games and scoring first would be crucial for South Warren.
They did just that.
The leadoff batter McLaine Hudson tripled off Spiers to left center and then scored on Kinleigh Russell’s sacrifice fly. After Hadley Borders singled, she came home on Layla Ogden’s single to make it 2-0 after one inning. That’s really all the Lady Spartans needed thanks to Ogden’s pitching, who went four-innings allowing just two hits and two runs while striking out eight and walking three on 65-pitches.
The Lady Spartans didn’t let up although they were held scoreless in the second, they more than made up for it in the third when Russell drew a leadoff walk off Spiers, then after a flyball out, Ogden stepped up and helped her own cause with a homer to centerfield to make it 4-0. After Spiers struck out Hayden Holloway, Courtney Norwood jumped on a pitch and knocked it over the leftfield wall to increase their lead to 5-0. South Warren scored in five of the seven innings they batted in and Ogden, who for the most part kept Elizabethtown under control, did bend once in the bottom of the third when Claire Miller hit a leadoff single then Aislyn Burnett walked and both came home on Spiers double to right center. However, Ogden settled down striking out Emil Schmidt and Alyssa Philpot then getting Avery Simpson to ground out to end the inning.
South Warren didn’t let up and put four more runs up in the top of the fourth when Wilson walked with one out then Hudson homered to right center to make it 7-2. Russell then reached on a fielding error and then after Borders walked, Ogden reached on a fielding error. Holloway singled scoring Russell then Norwood struck out, but Borders scored on a passed ball as a result making it 9-2.
Although Spiers struggled against the Lady Spartans allowing eleven hits, she did total seven strikeouts against the Top Ranked team in the state despite throwing 156-pitches.
South Warren tacked on two more runs giving Norwood a little more insurance, who took over for Ogden, who retired with a 9-2 lead. Norwood went the last three innings allowing three hits, but no runs on 51-pitches.
Elizabethtown ends the 2024 season with a 23-4 record and will lose three seniors (Schmidt, Simpson and Reynolds). Coach Schmidt will return Spiers and the rest of the batting lineup.
Meanwhile, South Warren will move on to round two of the State Tourney and a date with Lexington Catholic today at 5:30. Lady Spartan coach Kelly Reynolds had to be impressed with her team’s performance but knows that it must continue as they are shooting for a date on Saturday June 15th.
