During a full day of softball, the Logan County Lady Cougars made their first softball win of the season meaningful Saturday by beating district rival Russellville 10-0 before going to Ohio County where they lost a game that was close most of the day.
Meanwhile the Logan JV won games at both stops.
Cierra Johnson scored the clinching 10th varsity run against RHS. She and Sierra Morrow were on base when Morrow, who picked up four hits on the day, drew a throw, allowing Johnson to move to third. Then when Maddi Abbott put the ball in play, Johnson scored the 10th run.
Abbott and Victoria Cates scored all the runs Coach Michael Crawford’s team would need in the first inning. Abbott walked, Cates singled and the Lady Panthers made errors on Rebecca Dezarn’s grounder to third and Jonique Smith’s fly ball to right. The young RHS team had made six errors after five innings.
Shelby Browning and Molly Wharton both doubled for Logan, Dezarn had 2 hits and 3 RBIs, Abbott got a hit and drove in a run, Cates drove in 3 runs, and eight grader Tristan Hales scored.
Shelby Milam pitched a 2-hit shutout. The hits were by eight graders Macy Meacham and Allison McDaniel. Another eighth grader, Cierra Collins, walked to start the game for Coach Greg Meacham’s team. And a fourth eighth grader, Tara Gilbert, pitched for RHS.
The Russellville squad includes juniors Laura Grace Marksberry, Shea Hampton and Taylor Gray, sophomore Rachel Fisher, freshmen Mia Bertha, Johna Pendleton and Kate Bouldin, eighth grader Maylyn Ray and seventh grader Paige Maise along with Brea Croslin and Taryn Gray.
The Lady Cougars put up a good fight for five innings at Ohio County later in the day before losing 12-4. They led 1-0 after an inning, fell behind 5-1, cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the fifth, gave up a run in the bottom of that inning, and then saw the Eagles score six runs on five hits in the sixth to blow the game open.
Logan’s first inning run came when Cates, who was playing second base while freshman Reagan Cole caught, moved up on Dezarn’s single and scored on an error by the pitcher.
Morrow had two hits, including a fifth inning double, while Browning also doubled. Johnson and Dezarn each had two hits while Abbott and Cates singled. Abbott and Cates were credited with RBIs.
Sarah Jones had three hits, including a double and a triple, while Kelsey Embry, Madison Bennett, Katie Martin and Kelsey Leach all doubled for Coach William Garner’s Ohio County team.
The Lady Cougars played errorless ball while the winners committed two errors in the early going. Meagan Ferguson pitched the JV wins.
The Eagles will come this direction Monday when they play at Russellville.
LCHS Coach Crawford wrote to his players on their Facebook page, “What a wonderful day. Great job, ladies. Two great wins by our JV and a big district win for the varsity. We played so much better today and played together for each other… So many good things happening with this group of young ladies. Very proud. We got behind but never got down on ourselves and maybe a better coaching move here or there the Ohio County would have turned out better. Thank you for your hard work and desire to get better and better every day.”