In a meeting between two teams with 20-plus wins, the Christian County softball team took a narrow 3-2 decision over hosts Warren East on Thursday night. The Lady Colonels stretch their win streak to fourteen and improve to 29-3-1, while the Lady Raiders lose their first in eleven outings to slip to 23-3.
Lexie O’Daniel hit a 2-run shot in the top of the first to give the Lady Colonels and early lead. Neither team would score again until the top of the sixth when Christian County again utilized the long-ball, with Hope Jones going deep over the center field fence.
Warren East’s Katie Gardner smacked a 2-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 1 at 3-2. Christian County’s Regan Hancock, on in relief since the third inning, got a strikeout and two pop-outs in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.
O’Daniel pitched the opening two innings for the victory, allowing a single hit while striking-out three and issuing one walk. She also paced the Lady Colonels at the plate with a hit and 2 RBI. Hancock worked the final five frames, yielding 2 runs on three hits with a couple of strikeouts and a walk.
Jones had a hit and an RBI, with Halle Hendricks and Pickle Winkler both hitting safely twice. Tyler Shemwell, Reni Shemwell and Taylor Shemwell each had a hit for Christian County.
Gardener took the loss for the Lady Raiders, pitching all seven innings and allowing 3 runs on nine hits with nine strikeouts and a couple of walks. She was also 2-2 at the plate with 2 RBI and a walk.
The Lady Colonels close out regular-season play on Saturday with a game against Central Hardin (26-7) at the McCracken County Round Robin.