11th Region softball: Bryan Station unleashes 7-run rally against Tates Creek
Maybe the “B” in Bryan Station now stands for “Big Inning,” because these Defenders have found an attack mode in the postseason.
On Monday in the 11th Region Softball Tournament quarterfinals at George Rogers Clark High School, Bryan Station unleashed a seven-run fifth inning after falling behind to Tates Creek a few minutes earlier.
The outburst yielded a 9-4 victory to give the Defenders their first region semifinals appearance in program history.
Bryan Station batted around in the breakaway, starting with a leadoff walk by Olivia Greenberg. Three straight bunts followed by DeAsya Lewis, Adalyn Faulconer and Bekah Clark. All reached safely. Clark’s bunt brought home Greenberg to tie the game at 2-2.
“They executed the bunting to perfection. That’s what got us back into the game,” Bryan Station coach Hector Urbaneja said. “Nobody got their head down even though they might have had a bad at-bat or something. They put the bunt down. They played for the team.”
Then, with one out, seventh grader Mia Urbaneja pulled a two-run double into the left field corner. Last week, the head coach’s kid had made a few mistakes against Scott County in the district final. Bryan Station rallied for the win, regardless, and Wednesday’s big hit helped put any negative thoughts firmly in her rearview.
“It helped me with my confidence, gaining back everything that I lost,” she said. “Thank you to my team. I also got to use their energy as a way back. I was very tense getting in that box. Finally, I relaxed after a couple of pitches.”
That support among teammates seems to yield outbreaks like Monday’s. Bryan Station put together five-run innings against both Douglass and Scott County at districts.
“I think we’ve come together as sisters overall, finally. And that’s why we have such team chemistry … It’s finally coming along,” Mia Urbaneja said. “We get hyped and sometimes we get down, but once someone leads us off, we can finally get it together and find a way.”
The Defenders didn’t stop at five runs against Tates Creek. In all five different players notched at least one RBI and six different players scored. Urbaneja added an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to put Bryan Station up 9-2.
But Tates Creek (16-11) kept battling and took advantage of Bryan Station pitcher Karsyn Rockvoan’s control issues in scoring a go-ahead run in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh. Alexis Sempsrott’s two-out double in the fifth cashed in a leadoff walk by SaNiyah Joyce and put Tates Creek up briefly 2-1. Sempsrott added another RBI double in the seventh.
Though she walked nine and gave up five hits, Rockvoan persevered and ultimately struck out the side in the seventh. Her 16th strikeout ended the game.
“Karsyn was grinding through pain, through needing a lot of water,” Coach Urbaneja said. “It wasn’t her best outing, but she got through it.”
Bryan Station (14-14) is scheduled to face 41st District champion Franklin County at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals.
Monday’s other quarterfinals
Franklin County 9, Madison Southern 3: Camryn Kelly smacked a solo home run in the fifth and a two-run shot in the sixth while Haley Smoot pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to help the Flyers (21-9) reach the region semifinals for the first time since 2018.
Kelly also had a sacrifice fly in Franklin County’s four-run first inning, which included an RBI single by Chloe Simpson and pushed the Flyers in front after Madison Southern (xx) scored an unearned run. The Eagles got two-out RBI singles by Jadeyn Terrill and Madelyn Tyree in the second to get within 4-3 before Franklin County blew the game open in the sixth.
Madison Central 10, Scott County 0 (6 innings): The Indians (24-8) smashed five doubles in a decisive five-run fifth inning and Kate Drury pitched a one-hit shutout in a mercy-rule shortened win over the Cardinals (17-13).
Kaylee Rice led off the fourth with a double. An out and a walk later, Mollie Neeley hit a two-run double to center. Drury and Devan Steward followed with back-to-back RBI doubles for a 7-0 lead and Luciana Robinson followed an out later with the final RBI double of the rally.
Robinson led Madison Central with four hits and three RBI. Neeley knocked in three. Drury struck out five and walked one.
Great Crossing 5, Lafayette 2: The Warhawks (18-12) plated three of their five runs on sacrifice bunts and scored the rest on infield grounders in the first four innings as Maleigha McKinney held the Generals to two runs on three hits and Amelia Densley closed the game out in the circle with two scoreless innings.
Kyleigh Harrison led Great Crossing with two RBI, both on sacrifices, Dakota Mullins, Molly Parker and Taylor Gorbett knocked the others in. Parker scored twice.
Anna Clay Denton led the Generals with three hits and three stolen bases. Addi Combs, who has been injured since midseason, returned to the lineup at third base and drew a walk.
11th Region Softball Tournament
At George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester
Monday’s quarterfinals
Great Crossing 5, Lafayette 2.
Madison Central 10, Scott County 0 (6 innings).
Franklin County 9, Madison Southern 3.
Bryan Station 9, Tates Creek 4.
Tuesday’s semifinals
6 p.m.: Great Crossing vs. Madison Central.
8 p.m.: Franklin County vs. Bryan Station.
Wednesday’s final
6:30 p.m.: Championship game.
