Jim Mashek

WARREN EAST TO TANGLE WITH TALENTED LOGAN COUNTY SQUAD; GREENWOOD SQUARES OFF WITH BARREN COUNTY

South Warren High School has been atop the statewide rankings in fast-pitch softball for nearly the entire season, but the Spartans are going to have to negotiate a tough eight-team field to get back to the KHSAA State Tournament starting June 7 at the University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium.

The Spartans take a 34-3 overall record into the fray at WKU’s Softball Complex, and they’ll be playing in the tournament opener against a decided underdog in Cumberland County (20-13). First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m., on Monday, with the Memorial Day fare full of other compelling matchups.

To wit:

1) Logan County, which slipped past South Warren earlier this month, 4-3, opens 4th Region play against traditional power Warren East (26-10);

2) Barren County, a longtime contender and the champion of the KHSAA’s 15th District, puts its 26-7 record on the line against Rod Bush’s top-flight Greenwood squad (25-10-1);

And 3) In the nightcap, Russellville (23-14) will tangle with Clinton County (27-9).

Throw in Logan County’s impressive 28-4 ledger, not to mention the Cougars’ impressive victory over South, and you’ve got one loaded 4th Region field.

Bush, the second-year Greenwood coach, was philosophical when the regional draw took place on Friday morning at Bowling Green High School. The Lady Gators stunned South Warren, 2-1, in last year’s KHSAA 4th Region championship game and made a quarterfinal appearance in the KHSAA state tournament.

“You’ve gotta beat ’em all, to get where you want to be,” Bush said.

Kelly Reynolds, South Warren’s personable seventh-year coach, was pleased when the Spartans drew the morning game, which will give the winning team a good chance to scout possible opponents for the second and third days of the tournament. South Warren hasn’t faced Cumberland County since 2016, but a lot can happen rather quickly in seven innings of fast-pitch softball.

“It’s nice to see that we’re playing in the early game,” Reynolds said. “It’s great to get that early game, and see where you are, what you need to work on. We’ve had a great regular season, but that’s really just practice for this.

“We tell our girls, it’s ‘one game at a time,’ but that’s more than a cliche’. Our offense has to stay strong. If anything, the competition is going to continue to rise.”

South Warren is a team with several individual standouts, most of them sophomores. Pitcher Layla Ogden, the MVP of the KHSAA 14th District Tournament, has compiled a 17-0 record with an amazing ERA of 0.92. She’s struck out 122 batters, in just 81 1/3 innings pitched, while allowing a scant 42 hits. McLaine Hudson, South’s shortstop and leadoff hitter, is sporting a mind-boggling .646 batting average with a team-high 39 extra-base hits — including 20 home runs — and 62 RBI.

In 37 games, mind you.

Sophomore catcher Hayden Holloway unloaded a home run to center field in South’s 7-1 victory over Greenwood for the 15th District title on Wednesday, and second baseman Kinleigh Russell and first baseman Hadley Borders are sophomores, too. Now, get this. The Spartans can trot out a FRESHMAN right-hander out of the bullpen, if necessary, in Courtney Norwood (14-2, 1.55 ERA, 113 strikeouts).

This is a complete team.

Still, Logan County struck for a 4-3 victory over the Spartans on Senior Night at the South Warren Softball Complex. But the Lady Cougars (28-4) got a tough draw with tradition-rich Warren East, the runner-up to Barren County in the ultracompetitive 15th District. Warren East stunned South Warren, 3-2, in the 4th Region title game to make its last KHSAA state tournament appearance in 2021.

Logan County ace Shayla Johnson has compiled an impressive 16-3 record, with an ERA of 1.38. She’s struck out 99 batters in 118 1/3 innings pitched, and Logan coach Gary Gettings has another option in the circle in junior Addison Cartas (11-0, 3 saves, 1.68 ERA). Senior catcher Emerson McKinnis paces the Lady Cougars’ offense, with a monster .542 batting average with a team-high 14 home runs and 46 RBI.

Warren East coach Jennifer Brooks understands the challenge in front of her squad.

“The bracket broke out a little hard, but ‘go big or go home,'” Brooks told Micheal Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News. “I look forward to facing them, when we are fresh off of a weekend, of not playing … I think it’s going to be a really good matchup.”

Warren East and Logan County split in two games during the regular season, Warren East pitcher Autumn Brooks has compiled a 16-7 record with a 4.86 ERA. The Lady Raiders’ Lydia Jones is sporting a .508 batting average with 17 extra-base hits and a team-high 42 RBI.

Greenwood and Barren County will play in the first game of the evening session, scheduled for a 5 p.m. start on Monday. The Lady Gators defeated Barren County, 12-2, early in the season, but the Trojanettes have won 18 of their last 19 games, including the 8-5 victory over Warren East to secure the 15th District championship on Tuesday.

The likely pitching matchup for that game will be the Lady Gators’ Gracyn Nealon (11-4, 2.98 ERA) or Abigail Byrd (10-4, 2.50 ERA) against the Trojanettes’ Shea Bogue (20-3, 3.26 ERA). Barren County’s Katie Murphy is batting .590 with a team-high 57 RBI, while Greenwood’s Cali Huff is batting .447 with a team-high 16 homers and 47 RBI. The Lady Gators’ Savannah White is sporting a .456 batting average with 30 stolen bases.

Greenwood coach Rod Bush is optimistic about his team’s possibilities. If Greenwood can get past Barren County, the Lady Gators will face either Russellville or Clinton County in the second semifinal game on Tuesday.

“I like our chances,” Bush said. “We had a great practice (Thursday), and we know what we’ve got to do in these kinds of tournaments. We’ll make a game time decision on our starting pitcher.”