The Henderson County Lady Colonels are headed back to the 2nd Region softball semifinals for the 7th straight season. Kamryn Timmons pitched 5 ⅔ innings of one hit softball, and broke a scoreless tie with a shot to centerfield in the bottom of the fourth as the Henderson County Lady Colonels took an 8-0 win in the quarterfinal round against the Caldwell County Lady Tigers.
Caldwell County did everything they needed to do to keep the game close early by not allowing the Lady Colonels to string together hits in the first three innings as the two teams stayed 0-0.
The Lady Tigers had their chance to set the Lady Colonels on their heels in the second inning. Caldwell County used a Henderson error, a walk, and a groundout to get runners on second and third with just one out. However, Timmons buckled down and got a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning, and that would be a missed opportunity that the Lady Tigers would not get again.
Timmons came up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the fourth and took the third pitch of the at-bat out of the park, giving Henderson County a 1-0 lead and setting momentum firmly on the Lady Colonels’ side of the field.
Henderson County then used ‘small ball’ to put the game away in the bottom of the fifth inning. The first five batters of the inning all bunted, with four of them reaching base safely, as the Lady Colonels quickly got three more runs on the board to make it 4-0. Henderson added two more runs on a passed ball and a sac fly as the lead moved to 6-0.
Lillian Bennett left the yard to open the bottom of the 6th to push the lead to 7-0. Saniya Shields then scored on a ground out to make it 8-0.
Daelen Kizzee and Josey Lee DeHart had one hit each for Caldwell County, which ends it season at 12-17,
For Henderson, Ayden Bennett finished 2-4 with two RBIs. Saniya Shields was 2-3 with two runs scored.
In the circle, Kamryn Timmons went 5 ⅔ innings, giving up one hit, while striking out nine and walking just one. Lillian Bennett pitched the final inning and a third.
Henderson improves to 25-8 and moves on to the semifinals against Lyon County Tuesday night. The last time Henderson failed to reach the semifinals was in 2018 when they lost to Madisonville-North Hopkins in the quarterfinals.
