With the tying and go-ahead run on base in the top of the seventh, Christian County pitcher Riley Hancock bore down and came up with a huge strikeout to end the game as the Lady Colonels held off a late-game rally by the Graves County Lady Eagles to pick up an 8-7 win on a cool evening at Christian County High School.
It has been Hancock who cranked out a three-run homer to give Christian County the lead in the bottom of the 6th inning after the game had been tied 4-4. Hancock’s blast was immediately followed by Reni Shemwell’s second homer of the game to give Christian County a seemingly safe 8-4 lead going into the final inning.
However, Graves County would not quite cooperate in the top of the seventh. The Lady Eagles used a pair of doubles from Erin Myatt and Abbey Williams and four Lady Colonel walks to score three runs and loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the 7th, setting the stage for Hancock’s game-clinching strikeout.
The Lady Colonels held off the Graves County rally after coming from behind twice themselves. After the Lady Eagles scored two runs in the top of the first, Tenley Gilbert hit a two-run homer for Christian County in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at 2-2.
The Lady Eagles added a run in the top of the third and another in the top of the 4th to push the lead out to 4-2.
Christian County cut the lead to 4-3 on an RBI double from Pickle Winker in the bottom of the 4th and tied the game on Reni Shemwell’s first home run of the night to lead off the game in the bottom of the fifth, setting up the nail-biting finish in the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh.
Riley Hancock was 1-3 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Reni Shemwell ended the game 3-4, with two home runs and two RBIs. Tenley Gilbert was 1-3, with a home run and 2 RBIs.
In the circle, Riley Hancock started the game and then came back to finish the game and pick up the save for winning pitcher Gracie Harned.
With the win, which was their fifth in a row, the Lady Colonels move to 6-1 on the season. Christian County is back in action Thursday when they host Muhlenberg County.
