‘It felt so good off the bat.’ Lafayette’s home run hitters show up in postseason.
When the skies finally parted long enough for some high school softball to be played, Lafayette attempted to seed the clouds with a couple of home runs in its 4-0 win over North Laurel on Sunday in the semi-state round of the state softball tournament at John Cropp Stadium.
Kaileigh Franklin Brooks and Madison Johnson each hit solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, to push the score to its final margin.
Brooks’ shot on a 1-0 count led off the fifth and soared down the left-field line, hitting the foul pole about midway up. “That thing was gone for days,” Johnson said.
“I was struggling to hit, so before I got up to bat, I said, ‘You’ve got this. Just do what you know how to do,’” Brooks said. “And that one hit went over the fence and it felt so good off the bat.”
North Laurel pitcher Madison Dagley had been difficult to solve up to that point even though Lafayette had two runs in. Dagley had nine strikeouts when Brooks homered and finished the game with 11.
Johnson hit the first pitch she saw in the sixth inning well over the wall in left center.
“Her first pitch was right down the middle,” Johnson said. “We just made sure we were on time.”
Lafayette (31-8) ranks second in the state in team home runs with 47 and their blasts on the University of Kentucky’s somewhat larger college field proved that statistic is no fluke. Ten different Lafayette hitters have homered this season.
“The long ball has been good for us all year,” Lafayette Coach Dan Grantz said. “I think that’s a testament to the strength and conditioning but also to the level of talent. Hitting-wise, they’ve really bought into our hitting techniques and really seeing the ball — trying to hit for power every time. So, we know on any given pitch, we can hit it out of the park.”
During their batting practices this season, Grantz said a number of Lafayette fielders have to stand outside the fence just to warm up because so many balls are flying out they can’t shag them inside the park.
“They get a lot of confidence seeing that,” Grantz said. “And I think that’s going to be the difference for us in this tournament.”
Sophomore pitcher Trinity Bridges has been making a difference, too. She struck out 11 in her third straight shutout of the postseason, allowing North Laurel (18-14) only two hits.
The win did not come without some trying moments, however. Grantz visited the circle after a single, a hit batsman and a passed ball put runners on second and third in the third inning with two out. Bridges struck out the next batter.
Up 4-0 in the seventh inning as she tried to close out the game, Bridges hit another batter and gave up another single and another passed ball that put runners on second and third again, this time with no outs. But Grantz did not visit his pitcher.
“I was worried a little bit early that there might have been some nerves, and just made sure we settled her down,” Grantz said. In the seventh, “her confidence level was definitely up. … She knew where to put it to keep them off balance.”
Bridges struck out the next batter looking, got the one after to bounce it back to her, giving her a chance to start a run down to eliminate the runner at third and got the third out via strikeout to preserve the shutout.
“There were a lot of nerves (in the seventh.) I went out there and said, ‘OK, Trin, you have to do this.’ And then I messed up,” Bridges said. “But then I just took a deep breath. I knew I had my defense behind me and I was able to get them.”
Lafayette scored its first run in the second inning after a Johnson double set up Claire Cronan’s RBI single. In the fourth inning, Leah Holland singled and pinch-runner Anna Clay Denton stole second. Denton then stole third and came home on the same play thanks to an error by the North Laurel catcher.
The Generals will face Butler at 5 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. Butler beat Lafayette 6-1 on May 29, their only meeting of the regular season.
Storm trouble
June’s penchant for afternoon storm systems played havoc with the KHSAA’s softball schedule.
Friday’s second game between Johnson Central and Boyle County had to be halted due to storms both on Friday and on Sunday. Only Lewis County’s 10-1 win over Wolfe County got in on Friday.
On Saturday, the first game squeaked in again ahead of the storms, a Daviess County 2-1 win over Ballard, but the second game and the rest of the slate had to be postponed until Monday.
When Boyle County and Johnson Central resumed on Sunday, they played until the bottom of the seventh when storms shut down the action again. Play didn’t resume until 6:30 p.m. Boyle held on for the 1-0 win.
But the delay also pushed back Lafayette’s game from a 3:30 to a 6:58 p.m. start on Sunday and the Pendleton County-Boone County game didn’t begin until 9:17 p.m.
“We had to sit around, but the girls were ready,” Grantz said. “We knew mentally that we were going to play today no matter what and they took that in stride. Once it was time to get back out here … they didn’t skip a beat.”
Saturday’s game between Butler and McCracken County was scheduled to pick up from where it left off at 10 a.m. Monday with the Mustangs leading 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning. The postponed Warren East-Henderson County game and the Green County-Henry County game were to follow.
Other completed games
Lewis County 10, Wolfe County 6: Alanna Puente hit a two-run double and Kayla Sullivan soon followed with a three-run triple as the Lions (22-8) rallied from a 2-0 deficit with eight runs in the third inning and held on for the victory. Wolfe County (23-10) got a two-run single from Gullitt and RBI singles from Nellee Lumpkins, Sarah Smith and Lauryn Terrill.
Daviess County 2, Ballard 1: The Panthers (32-6) rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh for the victory. Sophie Simon hit an RBI single to left field and advanced all the way to third on a throwing error. Abby Newman’s sacrifice fly brought in the winning run. Ballard (31-4) scored an unearned run in the second inning.
Boyle County 1, Johnson Central 0: A bunt single and a stolen base by Hailey Cannon set up Summer Ray’s RBI single in the third inning and the Rebels (28-6) made it stick. Kayleigh White struck out 12 and scattered four hits for the complete game victory over the Golden Eagles (33-7).
Pendleton County 8, Boone County 2: The LadyCats (25-11) got a two-run double from Sydney Manor in the first inning and a pair of two-run singles by Madison Verst and Maddie Musk in the fourth to pull away. Harper Kinman led Boone (24-11) with two hits and an RBI.
Butler 6, McCracken County 4: The Bearettes (31) rallied for three runs in the sixth inning capped by a two-run home run by Kyndal Tinnell. McCracken (30-7) held a 4-1 advantage after 4 1/2 innings in a game that was resumed at 10 a.m. Monday morning from Saturday’s storm postponement.
Warren East 5, Henderson County 0: Raiders (27-13-1) pitcher Emma Markham allowed only three hits and struck out eight Colonels (27-11). Lucy Patterson led Warren East with three hits and two RBI.
Green County 2, Henry County 1: Mikka Thompson hit a run-scoring single to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie for the Dragons (31-11). Haley Judd scored on the play. Judd started the rally with a one-out single. Katlyn Milby allowed one run on three hits and struck out 11 LadyCats (21-5).
Highlights
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 7:45 AM.
