In two previous meetings between Trigg County and Union County, the winner rallied late to grab the win. The same thing happened again on Tuesday as the Bravettes erased a 5-1 deficit in the sixth inning to deliver a 10-5 gut-punch loss to the Lady Wildcats on Tuesday.
Union County moves into the region championship for the first time. They will have a district championship rematch with Henderson County, a 10-0 winner over Livingston Central in the other semifinal.
Still riding high off Monday’s win over Christian County – the first for Trigg County – the Lady Wildcats kept their bats going early. Maddie Smith singled to right and Tember Oliver followed with a line drive to center that got past the fielder and scored Smith. Brynlee Smock followed with a line drive off the leg of Union County pitcher Peyton Jenkins that scored Oliver.
Jaylen Tackett delivered a two-out single in the third, scoring Bryleigh Walsh to cut the deficit in half.
The game took an unusual turn in the bottom of the third inning with two outs. Rylee Hendricks walked, stole second, and scored on a Kady Fuller single. Kiley Slone walked and Smith delivered an RBI single for a 4-1 Trigg lead.
Tember Oliver followed with a three-run homer to left to boost the lead to 7-1. Following Trigg’s celebration at home plate, Union County appealed that a Trigg runner ahead of Oliver missed home plate. The umpire agreed. Instead of a three-run homer and a 7-1 lead, the hit was reduced to an RBI triple. The runner was deemed passed on the basepaths when Oliver touched home plate for the third out of the inning.
Trigg still carried a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning before Union County mounted a rally. A single and an error preceded a run-scoring double by Miley Mosley. Ava Arnett tied the game two pitches later with a rocket over the left-field fence.
Union’s Jenkins overcame the shot off her leg early in the game and didn’t allow any runs after the third inning. She scattered eight hits and struck out four.
The roof caved in on Trigg County in the ninth inning. Two dropped fly balls and an intentional walk was sprinkled among doubles by Audrey Staley and Mosley. Arnett drove in her fifth run of the game with a single to give the Bravettes a 10-5 lead.
Trigg put two runners on in the home half of the ninth inning but a popout ended the game.
Union outhit Trigg 12-9 with Tackett and Mosley each delivering four hits. Two of Mosley’s hits were doubles. Jenkins got the win, overcoming the shot off her leg early in the game to allow just two earned runs and struck out four.
Oliver delivered three hits for Trigg County with MaKenna Hendricks and Maddie Smith adding two each.
In the circle, Oliver struck out four and allowed just three earned runs.
Tuesday’s game was the latest chapter in a book of comebacks involving the teams.
On March 16, Trigg rallied from a 7-1 deficit and walked off a 10-9 win on a Rylee Hendricks three-run homer.
A month later, Union County used an eight-run fourth inning to overcome a 5-0 deficit and beat Trigg 8-7 in the semifinals of the Class 2A sectional.
Trigg County’s season ends with a 20-17 record – just the school’s second 20-win season. The Lady Wildcats graduated one senior as they look to build on the program’s fourth-ever trip to the region tournament.
Union County (23-17) will play in the region championship for the first time Wednesday. They will face three-time defending region champion Henderson County, who beat the Bravettes 11-0 in the district championship. Henderson has won 14 straight games against Union dating back to 2017.
