KHSAA Softball State Tournament
Central Hardin Goes 2-2!
After running roughshod over the 5th Region, Central Hardin traveled to Owensboro to take on the best Kentucky has to offer. After dropping a tough 8-3 game to South Warren, the Lady Bruins made their way through the losers bracket the following day and survived a scare from Collins and blew out Notre Dame, but finally fell to Mercy in an extra inning affair that eliminated them from the state tournament. It was a tough loss, but the Lady Bruins managed to be competitive most of the time and with plenty of young talent they should be back next season.
South Warren 8 Central Hardin 3 – The Lady Bruins got their seventh trip to the State Tourney off to a blazing start with a leadoff homer by third baseman Aubree Muse and freshman Bella Rainey was holding the Lady Spartans under control through the first three innings, until then a couple of errors and then a double that put South Warren up 2-1. Central Hardin countered with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie things up and then the fun began. Sophomore Alexis Isable led the top of the fifth with a solo home run to put the Lady Spartans up, 3-2. That run was on Kaci Goedde who came in during the fourth inning. Central Hardin countered with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie things up at 3 and then South Warren began piling it on in the seventh with five runs highlighted by sophomore pinch hitter Madison Stumbo’s three run shot put an exclamation point on the game.
Central Hardin 6 Collins 4 (10-innings) – In the loser’s bracket, the Lady Bruins turned on the power and hit four round trippers (Muse’s was an inside-the-park job) and won their first game of the tournament, 6-4. Like most of their games this week it wasn’t easy as Collins was also in a play-or-go-home situation, too. Aubree Muse tripled to leadoff the bottom of the first and Angel Ashlock hit a 2-run shot to push Central Hardin up, 2-0. Collins got a run back in the top of the second and tied things up in the top of the fourth, but then in the bottom of the fifth, Muse hit an inside the park homer that put the Lady Bruins up 3-2 until Collins countered with to tie things up in the sixth-inning and then got a run in the top of the seventh to go up 4-3. Central Hardin stayed alive with a leadoff shot by Bailey Richardson to tie things up. Then the game drifted off into extra innings and that’s the way it stayed until the 10th until senior Lexi Gonterman came up to bat with a base runner and ended the game with a shot that ended the dramatic contest, 6-4.
Central Hardin 9 Notre Dame 1 – Staying alive was the game plan as the Lady Bruins would face Notre Dame and pretty much ended the game in the first inning scoring five times to go up 5-0 and then twice in the third inning to extend the lead to 7-0. Nine Lady Bruins had a hit including Muse with 3, Angel Ashlock with 3 and Lexi Gonterman with 3. Central Hardin sent 10 batters to the plate in the 1st against Lauren Durstock, who didn’t make it out of that inning, while Bella Rainey went the distance allowing just six hits and one run while striking out three batters. Madyson Jones continued the Central Hardin home run streak with a round tripper in the seventh.
Mercy 1 Central Hardin 0 (9-innings) – The Lady Bruins win streak at state came to an end with an extra inning loss to Mercy. It was a game dominated by pitching as both Mercy’s Lexi Ray and Kaci Goedde both took turns making their statements in this scoreless game through eight and a half innings. It was certainly a game that Central Hardin coach Jaime Goodman will remember not for what happened, but for what they were unable to do. The Lady Bruins had runners on base in the second, fourth and sixth inning and were unable to get any one across. Ray had something to do with that. Probably the Lady Bruins best chance occurred when in the fourth when they had the bases loaded with two outs, but were unable to get anyone across. The Lady Jaguars got things going in the bottom of the ninth when pitcher Lexi Ray singled and was replaced by a pinch runner. After a ground out, Ryan Hobbs walked and was also replaced with a pinch runner. After the next batter lined out, a throwing error moved the baserunners up and after the bases were reloaded with a walk, Taylor McGowan (who was the only Mercy player with two hits) singled up forcing the winning run across.
Fast 5th Region Facts-
Since 2005, the 5th Region representative has now lost 10 of the last 13 opening games and has started game two in the losers bracket. Only North Hardin (2006 and 2009) and Central Hardin (2011) have won game one during that time.
The Lady Bruins LOVE the long ball and hit six in four games. Aubree Muse had two, Angel Ashlock, Bailey Richardson, Lexi Gonterman and Madyson Jones all hit one.
Central Hardin’s record at the state tournament is now 10-14.
