Madisonville-North Hopkins senior pitcher Courtney Patterson capped her stellar run through the 2nd Region tournament with a 3-0 shutout of Lyon County in Friday night’s championship game. The Lady Maroons return to the top of the region after winning four-straight titles from 2014-17, while the Lady Lyons fall short in their first appearance in the championship game in program history.
The Lady Maroons move on to face 1st-Region champion Marshall County on Saturday at Western Kentucky University, while the Lady Lyons will return intact next season for another run at the title.
The Lady Maroons took the lead with two outs in the top of the third, with Zoe Davis reaching on a bunt to score Gracie Arnold, followed by Courtney Peyton stealing home to double the advantage. The Lady Lyons tried to answer in the bottom of the inning, with Sydney Melton doubling to left for Lyon County’s only extra-base hit, but Patterson ended the threat with one of her six strikeouts.
Madisonville’s Mykayla Spurlin added an insurance run with a home run to lead off the fourth, and Patterson held the Lady Lyons to a couple of singles the rest of the way to clinch the title.
Tori Schenk took the loss, working four and a third while allowing 3 earned runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. Allye Culp pitched two and two-thirds, yielding three hits with a walk and a strikeout.