Lexington Catholic softball erases early season woes with back-to-back district titles
Fourteen games into the season, Lexington Catholic had seemingly turned itself from a feared defending 43rd District and 11th Region champion into a Kentucky high school softball afterthought with just six wins against eight losses.
This despite having senior Abby Hammond in the circle, a two-time state Gatorade player of the year and Kentucky commit.
But after 10 straight victories that included defending its district title against No. 9 Lafayette with a 2-0 win Thursday night, Lexington Catholic is nobody’s victim now.
“I knew that we could be a great team if we put in the work,” Lexington Catholic senior Sydney Ford said after the district title win at Tates Creek High School. “Obviously, at the beginning of the season, it was really tough, but we’ve shown that we have put in the time.”
Ford broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when her hard grounder up the middle drew a diving stop by Lafayette’s second baseman, but that left no time to get Ford at first base, much less prevent pinch runner Katelyn Husz from scoring from third.
Lexington Catholic seventh grader Lilly Hawthorne got the rally started with a leadoff single to the gap in right center. Kayla Mattingly followed that with a walk. They both moved up a bag on Molly Slocum’s sacrifice bunt moments later to set the stage for Ford.
“That was huge. Getting the momentum going is always important,” said Hammond, who joked that she felt old next to Hawthorne. “We’re like six years older than her, so it’s really funny. She’ll say things, and I’ll be like, ‘What?’ But she’s great.”
Hammond walked to load the bases and keep the pressure on Lafayette in the fourth inning. A passed ball allowed Mattingly to score the game’s only other run.
Early in the season, Lexington Catholic’s defense was its Achilles heel. The Knights committed 41 errors in their first 14 games, including a season-high seven against Harrison County on March 24.
On Thursday, the Knights committed just one miscue, and they helped Hammond keep Lafayette scoreless despite Generals reaching base safely in six of seven innings.
The first play of the seventh inning exemplified how far LexCath has come defensively as Mattingly fielded a bloop single down the left-field line cleanly and cut down Lafayette’s McKenzie Harney at second base as the Generals’ leadoff hitter tried to stretch her hit into a double.
“The defense played extremely well the past two days and just made some plays behind (Hammond) that I think just made her feel even more confident,” LexCath coach Tina Watson said.
Hammond admitted it was difficult to foresee Lexington Catholic turning its season around in this fashion after such a horrid start.
“I don’t know that I saw this at the beginning of the season, but I definitely saw the progress as we came into practice every day and worked hard,” Hammond said. “And everyone saw it as we were winning more games. I think our work really paid off.”
Both Lexington Catholic (16-8) and Lafayette (24-7) will advance to next week’s 11th Region Tournament at Eastern Kentucky University’s Gertrude Hood Field in Richmond. As a district champion, LexCath will be a home team in one of Monday’s four first-round games at EKU. The bracket draw is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.
All-43rd District Tournament Team
Sydney Ford, Payton Coomer and Abby Hammond (MVP), Lexington Catholic; Addi Combs and Rylan Music, Lafayette; Hannah Jones, Tates Creek; Tatum Golden, Paul Laurence Dunbar; Mackenzie Waits, Lexington Christian.
11th Region Softball Tournament
At Eastern Kentucky University’s Gertrude Hood Field, Richmond. District champions are paired against district runners-up via blind draw in the first round.
Monday’s first round games
10 a.m.: Madison Southern vs. Great Crossing.
Noon: Lafayette vs. Frederick Douglass.
2 p.m.: Scott County vs. Lexington Catholic.
4 p.m.: Franklin County vs. Madison Central.
Tuesday’s semifinals
6 p.m.: Madison Southern-Great Crossing winner vs. Lafayette-Frederick Douglass winner.
8 p.m.: Scott County-Lexington Catholic winner vs. Franklin County-Madison Central winner.
Wednesday’s finals
7 p.m.: Championship game.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 7:27 AM.
