SOUTH EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO EIGHT GAMES
South Warren High School’s softball team was down to its last out.
Greenwood’s Cali Huff, an eighth grader, had launched a solo home run to center field in the top of the sixth inning, putting the Lady Gators in front 3-2 of their crosstown rival on Nashville Road.
Greenwood right-hander Kayden Murray had pitched a masterful game, putting her team on the verge of an impressive sweep of its KHSAA 14th District opponent.
Murray stopped the Lady Spartans 4-0 on April 12, allowing just four hits while striking out nine batters.
South Warren didn’t panic. Not even close.
Senior outfielder Elly Bennett delivered a bases-loaded, two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Thursday evening, lifting South Warren to a dramatic 4-3 victory over Greenwood at Spartan Field.
“I think it was a 2-1 pitch. My mindset was to hit it hard, a line drive or a ground ball,” Bennett said.
The line drive worked just fine.
South Warren (16-2 overall, 5-1 in KHSAA 14th District) extended its winning streak to eight games, heading into weekend play in the Greenwood Border Battle.
Greenwood coach Taylor Procter’s squad had its winning streak snapped at six games, but the Lady Gators (18-3, 5-1 in KHSAA 14th District) are loaded for bear in perhaps the toughest softball district across the Commonwealth.
Warren East (17-5-1, 2-3) is coming off a quarterfinal berth in the KHSAA state softball tournament last year, and Bowling Green (8-5, 2-4) has shown significant improvement under coach Demont Franklin.
No one has to tell fifth-year South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds about the significance of Thursday’s victory over the Lady Gators. South had trailed for most of the game, and Kayden Murray was finding the strike zone, keeping the Lady Gators on the path to an impressive two-game sweep.
“Our motto has been, ‘Finish.’ That’s what we’ve talked about all season,” Reynolds said. “Our district is tough. Really tough. The 4th Region is very good, top to bottom. Any team that comes out of the 4th Region has a chance to do something in the state tournament.”
South Warren right-hander Selynna Metcalfe was the winning pitcher, earning her seventh victory in eight decisions. Metcalfe, a senior, will be playing at Campbellsville University after graduation.
“(Greenwood) can really hit the ball. We just have to trust in our defense,” Metcalfe said.
The Lady Spartans have their own prodigy in McLaine Hudson, an eighth grader who plays middle infield and leads the team with a .651 batting average and seven home runs.
Bennett will be playing college softball at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, next season. She’s batting .542 with 11 extra-base hits and 21 RBI.
“We hit all the way through the lineup,” Bennett said. “We knew this was going to be a big game for us, to help us get where we want to go.”
