The Heritage Christian Lady Warriors decided they did not want the guys on the HCA baseball team to be the only ones playing on the final day of the season. The Lady Warriors took an early 5-0 lead and then found a way to turn back every challenge from North Hardin Classical on the way to a 13-7 win in the KCAA state semifinals Friday afternoon.
Heritage took the lead for good in the top of the first inning on a two-out rally. Kennedy Hughes and Rachel Robson got things going with back-to-back singles. Both would then score on passed balls to give HCA an early 2-0 lead.
HCA would extend the lead in the top of the third. Madison Warren pushed the lead out to 3-0 with an RBI single. A couple of North Hardin errors allowed the Lady Warriors to score two more runs and the lead grew to 5-0.
The Lady Falcons responded in the bottom half of the inning, combining two singles and a double to score a pair of runs and trim the lead to 5-2. A walk, a passed ball, and a couple of ground outs in the fourth cut the lead to 5-3.
After an error and a walk in the top of the 5th, Kailyn Stanley singled to short left field, driving in a pair of runs as the HCA lead moved back out to 7-3. But North Hardin would not go down without a fight.
The Lady Falcons put together a four single inning in the bottom of the fifth to generate a couple of runs to cut the lead to 7-5.
Kennedy Hughes gave the Lady Warriors some temporary breathing room in the top of the sixth with an RBI single to make it 8-5. But again, right back came North Hardin Classical. With one out, the Lady Falcons used an error, a single, and a triple to cut the lead to 8-7 and still had runners on first and second. However, a crucial running error on a pop fly ended up leading to a double play and the Lady Warriors got out of the inning clinging to an 8-7 lead.
However, when push came to shove, and the momentum of the game had the Lady Warriors with their backs to the wall, HCA came out and finished the deal in the top of the seventh. Madison Warren continued her sizzling hitting with a triple to lead off the inning. After a couple of one-out walks, the Lady Warriors took advantage of North Hardin miscues to score five runs in the inning and secure the game by taking a 13-7 lead.
Heritage was able to shut out the Lady Falcons in the bottom of the seventh to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
Madison Warren finished 3-4 with two triples, an RBI, and three runs scored. Kennedy Hughes was 4-5 with a double and two RBIs. Kailyn Stanley ended up 3-4 with three RBIs for the Lady Warriors. HCA scored their 13 runs on a total of 12 hits in the game.
North Hardin was their own worst enemy in the field, being charged with seven errors, including some very costly ones in the top of the seventh.
In the circle, Kennedy Hughes went all seven innings, giving up seven runs, five of them earned, on 14 hits, striking out two while walking only one.
Heritage will now play for the KCAA state softball championship Saturday at noon on their home field.
