The Heritage Christian Academy softball team moved to within a game of .500 on Saturday with its second win in a row, knocking off visiting Warren Central 3-2 to avenge an early-season defeat to the Lady Dragons.
HCA improved to 7-8 ahead of Monday’s 8th-District matchup with Hopkinsville. The Lady Warriors breezed past the Lady Tigers 27-0 in the teams’ first matchup back on March 19.
Heritage pitcher Kennedy Hughes finished with eight strikeouts, including four in the first two frames. However, she had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the second to keep the game scoreless after two hit-by-pitches and a walk. Hughes helped herself with a lead-off double in the bottom of the frame, and the Lady Warriors loaded the bases on Madison Warren’s single and a hit-by-pitch. However, they also came up empty after a groundout ended the inning.
Haylie Baxter’s RBI single broke the deadlock in the third for the Lady Dragons before HCA answered in the fourth with a run on a steal of home and Ellie Groves’ run-scoring single. Hughes’ third hit of the day drove in a run to make it 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, and after Warren Central got a run back in the sixth, she closed out the game with a 1-2-3 seventh.
Hughes earned her seventh win of the season, allowing two earned runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Rachel Robson joined Hughes with three hits for the Lady Warriors, and Warren finished 2/2 at the plate.
Warren Central slipped to 5-19 with its third straight defeat. Baxter took the loss, allowing three earned on ten hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
