KHSAA softball 2023: Defending state champion Ballard beats Woodford County in first round
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Whether it was rust or the pressure of trying to repeat as state champion, the Ballard High School softball team wasn’t at peak performance Thursday night.
Bruins coach Alan Jones expects better going forward.
“They kind of came in here like it’s a show,” Jones said. “Last year we came in with business. Trust me, we’ll be back to business on Saturday.”
The Bruins were good enough Thursday, getting a solid effort from senior pitcher Brooke Gray and a big third inning at the plate to beat Woodford County 4-0 in the first round of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop State Tournament at the University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium.
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No. 1-ranked Ballard (33-1) is looking to become the first repeat state champion in Kentucky since Greenwood in 2007 and 2008. The Bruins will face No. 13 Greenwood at 11 a.m. Saturday in a quarterfinal.
“There’s no pressure,” senior second baseman Imari Golden said. “Just go and have fun and win another ring.”
Gray (26-0), a University of Louisville signee, allowed two hits and two walks and struck out seven.
The Bruins got the only runs they’d need in the third inning, getting four straight hits from the top four batters in the lineup — Emory Donaldson, Mikayla Milby, Macy McCoy and Golden — to take a 3-0 lead.
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“I feel like we were more patient the second time through,” Golden said. “I feel like always after we see it we know how to make the adjustments and hit higher on the ball to hit it lower.”
Golden added an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 4-0.
No. 19 Woodford County finished 26-10.
Ballard will face a familiar foe in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Bruins beat Greenwood 1-0 in 11 innings on April 14. Greenwood senior pitcher Kayden Murray, a Lindsey Wilson College commit, allowed four hits and struck out 16 batters in the loss.
Jones said Gray and Murray are “without a doubt” the two best pitchers in Kentucky.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but it’s the state tournament,” Jones said. “Every game should be tough. They know Greenwood could be the team that can end it if we’re not ready to play.
“Trying to repeat is tough. We have the team that can do it. But we’re No. 1 in the state, and that puts a little more fuel to the fire when teams play us.”
KHSAA state baseball: Eastern High beats Bullitt East in 11 innings to advance to quarterfinals
WOODFORD COUNTY 000 000 0 - 0 2 2
BALLARD 003 010 x - 4 9 2
WP – Brooke Gray (26-0). LP – Kristyn Murphy (20-4).
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA softball 2023: Ballard High beats Woodford County in first round
