64th softball final: Double trouble: Goad, Stephens guide Lions to district title
ASHLAND Grace Stephens left the Ashland diamond seeing double on Wednesday night.
A pair of doubles and a two-base scoring effort off a passed ball helped jumpstart the Boyd County offense in the 64th District Tournament championship.
A Jaycie Goad two-run blast aided the path to the title and the Lions took home its third straight crown with a 6-2 win over Ashland.
“It means a lot,” Boyd County coach Lance Seasor said. “We are such a young team and we are so talented but for us to come together at the right time of year is huge. It means a lot when they start understanding how good they can be if they focus on the right things and do the right things in practice. Over the last two weeks, we have played so much better. It’s great to get some momentum going.”
Goad and Stephens started the momentum during the third inning. Goad had already ripped a double in her first at-bat and came to the plate with a runner on base. She left no doubt as her home run cleared the left-field wall.
"Jaycie is the heart of this team," Seasor said. "She's one of the hardest workers we got. She comes ready to play every day. We usually go as she goes. When she is swinging it well, she is the sparkplug for this whole team."
Myla Hamilton followed with a single and Kyli Kouns sacrificed her into scoring position for Stephens. The freshman ripped a double down the left-field line to plate Hamilton and give Boyd County (19-17) a 3-1 lead.
A Kittens error let Elise Sparks get to third base in the fourth inning. The speedy senior came home on a wild pitch.
Stephens wasn’t done adding to her extra-base hit total. She lined another double in the fifth inning. A passed ball moved Stephens to third. After rounding the bag, she saw an opening and beat the throw home to increase the Lions’ margin to four runs.
"We have great players and we can spread them throughout the whole lineup," Seasor said. "We are really dangerous from top to bottom when we put our mind to it and come ready to play. It's fun to see it all come together."
Goad was 3 for 3 at the plate and was a triple short of the cycle. She was intentionally walked in the fourth frame. Goad scored twice, including once in the sixth after an error and a double steal. Stephens was 2 for 3.
Ashland (15-16) had its scoring opportunities, leaving five runners on base in the first two at-bats. Grace Delaney and Jenna Delaney each posted triples. Jenna reached home on an RBI groundout by Addi Laine.
The Kittens attempted a rally in the seventh but only managed one run when Brookelyn Duckwyler slid into home safely on a fielder’s choice.
“We hit some at-them balls (during the game),” Ashland coach Scott Ingram said. “That changes the whole thing. We could have possibly been up 5-0 early. The pressure flips and even if Goad hits the home run, we are OK. Give them credit. (Elyn) Simpkins pitched a heck of a game. It’s just the way the game goes sometimes.”
Duckwyler and Grace Delaney each had two hits, accounting for four of their team's five for the game.
Ingram said a strong schedule has his team prepared for the postseason and feels they are ready to bounce back at the 16th Region Tournament.
"We will be fine," Ingram said. "They are disappointed and I would be disappointed if they weren't disappointed. We will move on tomorrow. They have been resilient all year and have bounced back from some tough losses. I think we will be ready to go Sunday.
The 63rd District final between Raceland and Greenup County was postponed due to unplayable field conditions. The game is scheduled for Saturday. The time and place could not be confirmed by press time. The region tournament is set to begin on Sunday at Ashland.
Simpkins took the win in the circle. The Lions hurler struck out seven.
ASHLAND 001 000 1 — 2 5 4
BOYD CO. 003 111 X — 6 9 0
Laine, Harmon (5), Pinson (6) and Duckwyler; Simpkins and Henderson. W—Simpkins. L—Laine. 2B—Stephens 2 (BC), Jay. Goad (BC). 3B—J. Delaney (A), G. Delaney (A). HR—Jay. Goad (BC).
