Clinging to a 5-4 advantage in Monday’s 13th-District semifinal while looking for the program’s first postseason victory in 10 years, the Todd County Central softball team suffered a heart-breaking 6-5 walk-off defeat to top-seeded Logan County.
The Lady Cougars won the two regular-season meetings by a combined score of 22-3, but upset-minded Todd Central pushed three runs across in its first at-bat to put Logan County on its heels. The Lady Rebels used three straight singles to load the bases and took a 2-0 lead on Jocelyn Mock’s ground out and a Logan County error. Rylann Griggs followed with an RBI single, but a pair of strikeouts left two runners on.
Keirsten Harper got Logan County on the scoreboard with a single to drive in a run in the bottom of the 2nd. Todd Central answered in the 4th when Maliyah Merriweather doubled and came home on another Lady Cougar error. With two outs and runners on first and second, Naomi Welborn singled on a line drive to center for a 5-1 advantage.
Logan County began its rally in the bottom of the 5th, loading the bases ahead of a sacrifice fly by Kinley Holloway. Shayla Johnson followed with a double to the wall in left field to score two and cut the deficit to a run.
The Lady Rebels put two on with one out in their half of the 7th, but couldn’t extend the lead. Todd Central’s first error of the game allowed the lead-off batter to reach in the Lady Cougars’ final at-bat, and Holloway bunted her way on to put runners at the corners.
Johnson drove in her third run of the night with a sacrifice fly before Madelyn Burgess singled to put a runner in scoring position. The Lady Rebels got a grounder for the second out of the inning, but with a 2-1 count to Hailey Burgess, a passed ball allowed the winning run to cross the plate.
Todd Central finished the season at 12-15 with Addison Woodall taking the loss in the circle after allowing four earned runs on three hits with six walks and a strikeout over five innings. Jocelyn Mock held the Lady Cougars to a pair of hits over one and a third scoreless frames.
Welborn finished 3/4 at the plate to lead the Lady Rebels, and Woodall and Merriweather each had two hits.
Johnson earned the win for Logan County, scattering four hits with two strikeouts over three and a third scoreless innings. Addison Cartas started in the circle for the Lady Cougars, surrendering five runs, two earned, on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts over three and two-thirds.
Logan County improved to 27-4 and won its fifth straight in the series. The Lady Cougars will try for their second straight district title on Wednesday against Russellville.
