The Hopkinsville softball team got off to a slow start at this weekend’s Bulldog Classic at John Hardin on Friday, falling 14-2 to Grayson County and dropping a 6-4 decision to Thomas Nelson.
The Lady Tigers slip to 2-5 overall and will face Bullitt Central on Saturday looking to stop a three-game slide.
Hopkinsville outhit Grayson County five to four, and the game was tied at 2-2 in the 2nd after and RBI double by Kaitlyn Kaetzel and a run-scoring single for Hannah Thorson.
However, Grayson erupted for a 12-run 3rd inning to put the game away, taking advantage of five hit-by-pitches and four walks.
Mallory Lindsey got the win in the circle for Grayson, allowing two earned runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Anslee Schartzer was 2/3 with two RBI, and Addy Bratcher had a hit and drove in two runs.
The Lady Tigers had fewer hits but more runs in the second matchup, and they led 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd when Faith Dansbury came home on a wild pitch and Kaetzel scored on an error.
Thomas Nelson tied the game in the 5th, and took advantage of three Hoptown errors to post four more runs in the top of the 6th. Emma O’Daniel’s RBI single capped the inning and gave the Generals a 6-2 advantage.
In the Lady Tigers’ final at-bat, Kaetzel’s double drove in a run and she eventually came home on an error to trim the margin to two with no outs. But O’Daniel finished off her complete-game victory with three straight strikeouts to deny Hoptown’s comeback bid.
O’Daniel fanned 15 and allowed only two hits, both to Kaetzel.
Shaniya Straight took the loss for the Lady Tigers, going the distance and surrendering two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
