Lady Maroons eliminated by East in extra inning
May 29—DANVILLE — East Jessamine had two big hits that made the difference in the game, as the Lady Maroons were eliminated by the Lady Colts by a score of 4-3 in extra innings in the opening round of the 12th Region Tournament at Boyle County High School.
A three-run blast in the top of the fifth-inning and a solo blast in the eighth inning was all the Lady Jags needed to end Pulaski County's season on Saturday afternoon.
Down 3-0 in the fifth, East Jessamine knotted the game at 3-3 after a three-run homer by Haylee Stansbury. Karlee Terral singled and Maddie Horn doubled with two outs. Stansbury homered to centerfield to clear the bases and tie the game.
Then in the top of the extra inning, Breeanna Crank drilled a solo homer to right center to give East Jessamine a 4-3 lead. The Lady Maroons went done in order in the bottom of the eighth frame to end their year with a 21-10 record.
"They were looking for anything around the plate and they both caught one," stated Pulaski County High School softball coach Brad Gover. "Crank had hit some home runs this year, and it is my fault I probably should have walked her. However, she hadn't did anything all game."
Pulaski County got on the scoreboard early with a run scored in the bottom of the first inning. Jessie Begley walked, and advanced the third base off a Brooklyn Thomas sacrifice bunt. Chloe Carroll singled to the left center gap to score Begley from third. In the top half of the first frame, East Jessamine had bases loaded with one out. A strikeout thrown by Begley and a fly out the centerfielder Kaelyn Conway ended the Lady Jags inning with no runs and three runners stranded.
In the bottom of the third inning, Thomas hit a one-out double to centerfield. Bella Ellis hit a pop up to shortstop, that was dropped, allowing Thomas to score. Conway got on base with a hit by pitch. Holly Barron singled to centerfield to score Kristen Doolin — who was pinch running for Ellis. The two runs by the Lady Maroons in the bottom of the third put them up 3-0.
Throughout the game, the Lady Maroons' defense was key with double plays in the third and eighth innings. In the top of the seven inning, Shelbi Sellers made back-to-back well-played ground outs to squash any chance of a East Jessamine rally.
Senior Holly Barron led the Lady Maroons with two hits and an RBI. Chloe Carroll had a hit and an RBI. Brooklyn Thomas had a hit and a run scored. Jessie Begley pitched and struck out five batters.
"We were 21-10 and won a tough district and played a tough schedule, and still won 21 games with a young group," Gover stated. "I think we played some tough teams and got beat up some and that got some of our younger players down. We will have to do better with our scheduling next year and get in a rhythm going into the post season."
Pulaski County ended the year as District 47 champions, while East Jessamine advanced to the region semifinals to play Southwestern on Sunday.
STEVE CORNELIUS is the CJ Sports Editor and can be reached at sports@somerset-kentucky.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CJSportseditor
