Based on Courtney Collins’ statistics alone, the future is bright for Lyon County High School softball. The eighth-grade slugger continued her big season Monday, including four RBI and her team-best fourth home run, leading the Lyons to a 13-3, five-inning victory over Hopkinsville.
Collins, who also smacked a double during her 3-for-4 performance in Eddyville, leads LCHS in homers (4), RBI (19), and batting average (.466) in 2023. Her run-scoring two-bagger opened the scoring in the first inning, as her double to left brought home Lauren Davis for a 1-0 Lyon County lead.
After Hoptown tied the game at 1-all in the top of the second inning on a Ruby Duskey RBI single, the Lyons roared back in the bottom half with a seven-run explosion. LCHS put its first four batters aboard on two singles, a hit by pitch, and one of three Tiger errors, and then went up 5-1 on an RBI single by Collins.
That game-swinging second inning also included RBI singles by Brenna Breitrick, Cayelyn Downing, and Destiny Cayce. That trio combined for eight of the Lyons’ 14 hits in the contest, including a 4-for-4 night by Breitrick. Cayce (1-2) went the distance and struck out four to earn her first pitching victory of the year.
Hopkinsville, which has dropped five of its last six games, managed to tack on two more runs in the third inning when Jakayla Grubbs singled and scored on a passed ball and Taylor Joachim delivered a one-out RBI single. By that point, however, HHS already trailed 8-3. Shaniyah Straight, who hit a double, took the loss in the circle with four strikeouts and three walks in another complete game.
The Tigers (4-8) will try to snap their two-game slide at 6 p.m. Tuesday against host Heritage Christian Academy, while the Lyons (5-10) play the second of four straight home games Tuesday against district foe Trigg County.
