With last week’s rain causing havoc with the 2nd Region All-A Classic softball tournament, University Heights Academy hosted both a quarterfinal and semifinal matchup on Monday. In the opener, Fort Campbell knocked off the Lady Blazers 11-5 before bowing out to Livingston Central by a score of 19-0 in three innings.
Livingston Central improved to 17-3 with its second win in a row and will face Crittenden County on Tuesday in the championship game. The Lady Cardinals already own a 12-2 victory over the Lady Rockets this season and have won eight of the last nine in the series.
With Fort Campbell leading 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Lady Blazers surged in front with a run on a Lady Falcon error followed by a solo home run for Chayse Gilliland. However, Avaley Moore singled in a run in the top of the fourth and Fort Campbell pushed a pair of runs across on a UHA error to take the lead for good.
Trailing 7-2 in the fifth, Gilliland tripled in a run and Madison Williams drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Lady Blazers some momentum, but Fort Campbell closed the door with four more runs in the top of the seventh. Hailey Herron drove in a run with a single and Daniella Hernandez followed with a two-run double for the Lady Falcons.
Amar’e Moore earned the win in the circle for Fort Campbell, going the distance and allowing four earned runs on six hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts. Avaley Moore finished with three hits, and four other Lady Falcons hit safely once.
Gilliland led the Lady Blazers with two hits and a pair of runs driven in, and Krista Keller was 2/3 at the plate. Gilliland took the loss, surrendering seven runs, only two earned, on three hits with eight walks and ten strikeouts. Katherine Wood came on in relief, giving up four earned runs on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts over two frames.
University Heights slipped to 2-4 ahead of a trip to Todd County Central next Monday. The Lady Rebels have won the last six in the series with the Lady Blazers’ last victory coming in 2017.
Playing in the All-A semifinals for the first time, Fort Campbell’s stay was short thanks to some power hitting by Livingston Central.
Victoria Joiner, Addison Tramble, Aubrey Leahy, and Emersyn Ramage all went deep for the Lady Cardinals. Joiner and Tramble went back-to-back, and Leahy cleared the centerfield fence to highlight a 16-run first inning. Ramage capped the scoring with a three-run shot in the bottom of the second, and three Livingston pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout.
Tramble got the win in the circle, striking out two, and Hadley Hargrove struck out the side in the second. Eden Campanella gave up a hit with a walk and struck out three to close out the game.
Joiner and Tramble both had two hits and drove in two runs, Ramage added three RBI, and Campanella and Neveah Jennings each drove in two.
Fort Campbell slipped to 4-7 and will head to Kenwood, TN on Tuesday.
