SOUTH PUTS 28-GAME WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE
South Warren High School’s softball team is in full-fledged pursuit of the school’s first KHSAA state championship, at least in that sport, but it’s going to be a gradual process for the Lady Spartans, regardless.
The tournament was held over at Owensboro’s Jack Fisher Park, over a long, usually hot, three-day weekend until 2019, when it went from a 16-team, double-elimination tournament to a 16-team, single-elimination affair at the University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium in Lexington.
Not only that, but should the No. 1-ranked Lady Spartans knock off their first-round opponent — the Highlands Bluebirds, from Fort Thomas, Kentucky — they’ll return to Bowling Green for several days of practice before returning to Lexington for the quarterfinal round on June 10.
The semifinals will unfold on Saturday, June 11, with the championship game scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Sunday, June 12.
So it’ll be an arduous process getting there, to getting a shot at the elusive state title, but South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds believes her squad is prepared for it.
“We try to just focus on the game in front of us,” Reynolds said, “and stress to the girls how important that is. We try not to look ahead. We challenge ourselves every year, with a tough schedule, and that’s something we believe helps us for this kind of tournament.”
Reynolds can’t recall her squad squaring off against Highlands, which defeated Dixie Heights 3-2 on Tuesday in the KHSAA 9th Region championship game. The Bluebirds’ Bailey Markus delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning, sending Highlands (26-14) into first-round play against the Lady Spartans (36-2).
South Warren has won 28 consecutive games, perhaps most noteworthy because of its penchant for comeback victories in pressure situations.
On April 28, after trailing nearly the entire game against KHSAA 14th District rival Greenwood, Reynolds’ squad came through with a 4-3 victory. South Warren has gone 8-1 in one- and two-run games, but on May 28, one month after the Houdini act against Greenwood, the Lady Spartans quickly fell behind against Barren County, forcing extra innings before pulling out a 4-3 triumph in 9th Region play.
After a methodical 9-1 victory over upstart Russellville, South Warren faced crosstown rival Greenwood in a memorable championship game before an overflow crowd at the WKU softball facility. This time, Greenwood’s Kayden Murray started setting down one batter after another, while the Lady Gators bolted to a 4-0 lead with a four-spot in the bottom of the second inning.
South Warren didn’t flinch.
Reynolds’ team rallied in the sixth, as senior shortstop Selynna Metcalfe crushed a Murray pitch for a three-run home run, with the Lady Spartans adding another run on aggressive base running from senior center fielder Elly Bennett.
Both teams scored one run in the eighth inning, setting up the stage for South Warren’s dramatic 10th-inning rally. Junior outfielder Katie Walker unloaded a two-run home run, and Avery Skaggs added an RBI single, sending the Lady Spartans to a thrilling 8-5 victory over Greenwood.
This is South Warren’s first trip to the state tournament since 2017, and the first trip to the state tournament with Kelly Reynolds calling the shots in the dugout.
South was the state’s No. 1-ranked team for virtually the entire 2021 season, but Warren East slipped past the Lady Spartans 3-2 in the 9th Region title game. That setback proved to be a motivational moment for South Warren this season, but the Lady Spartans again had to handle great expectations surrounding the program.
South Warren is again the Commonwealth’s No. 1-ranked team, but in a seven-inning softball game, a lot of things can happen.
The Lady Spartans seem to understand.
“It’s a little pressure,” Metcalfe admitted, “but we can’t let it affect the way we’re playing.”
Lexington’s John Cropp Stadium has bigger dimensions than most softball facilities, with the center-field fence 220 feet from home plate, as opposed to 200 feet at WKU and most high school parks.
“I’ll probably have to play deep a lot,” senior center fielder Elly Bennett said.
Kelly Reynolds and her coaching staff plan to make a decision on South Warren’s starting pitcher sometime Saturday afternoon in Lexington. Selynna Metcalfe, a senior headed for Campbellsville University, got the start in the 4th Region championship game against Greenwood. Reynolds quickly went to her bullpen, bringing in seventh grader Courtney Norwood during the Lady Gators’ four-run second inning. Eighth grader Layla Ogden finished the game in the circle, and was the winning pitcher.
Reynolds said she planned to use all three pitchers in that game, and that South Warren might take a similar approach against Highlands.
“Literally, we’re probably going to be deciding on Saturday afternoon in Lexington,” she said.
Highlands is making its first state tournament appearance since 2016. Bailey Markus’ seventh-inning single scored teammates Allison Meyers and Payton Brown, sending the Bluebirds into their first-round matchup with South Warren.
“I didn’t want to be the reason my seniors (teammates) had to call it a day,” Markus told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
South Warren will take batting practice at its home stadium on Saturday morning before boarding charter buses for the three-hour drive to Lexington, and the Lady Spartans are scheduled to return to Bowling Green on Sunday morning.
“We’ve kind of had a routine of hitting at our place before taking off for a road trip,” Reynolds said. “It’s a long day, and we play in the late game, so we’ll leave on Saturday morning.”
