If not for the fact the Jack Fisher Park has turf infield on its softball fields, the All A Classic might very well still be waiting to start play in this year’s state tournament. However, the City of Owensboro invested in that turf and it turned out very nicely for the Lyon County Lady Lyons on the opening day of the 2021 All-A Classic.
After waiting nearly nine hours to play their opening game, the Lady Lyons hit the field and rolled through the evening as they scored 21 runs in two games while giving up only four in picking up wins over Owensboro Catholic and Louisville Holy Cross.
With the way the games fell Saturday evening, the Lady Lyons have already won their pool, regardless of what happens in their final pool game with Nicholas County Sunday morning, and they will advance to the championship bracket play Sunday afternoon.
In the opening game of the evening, starting pitcher Kaelyn Conger got out of a couple of tight spots in the first and third innings and pitched four innings of shutout ball as the Lady Lyons took a 5-0 four-inning time limit win over the Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces. Conger gave up just one hit in the game, striking out six and walking four.
Conger also got the Lady Lyons on the board with an RBI double in the third inning to make it 1-0. The game looked like it might end that way until right before the time limit expired in the bottom of the fourth, Calista Collins blasted a grand slam to left to extend the lead to 5-0.
In the late game, the Lady Lyons pounded out 16 runs on a whopping 24 hits as they left Holy Cross in the fake dust, picking up a 16-4 win. Lyon County scored runs in every inning but the 4th, plating three in the first, five in the second, two in the third, and six more in the fifth.
Holy Cross was in the game briefly in the bottom of the first, after a two-run homer cut the Lyon County lead to 3-2. But that hope for the Lady Cougars proved to be short-lived. Holy Cross would add two meaningless runs in the bottom of the fifth, including one on the play where Lyon County picked up the final out of the game.
Tori Schenk went four innings in the circle to pick up the win. She gave up one unearned run on six hits, striking out none and walking none.
Hadlie Butler finished 4-5 with three runs scored. Lilly Perry was 2-3 with four RBIs and a run scored. Calista Collins was 3-5, with her second home run of the day, one RBI, and two runs scored. Gracen Wynn was 3-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored. The top six batters in the Lyon County order all had at least three hits each in the game.
Lyon County will now play Nicholas County in the final game of pool play Sunday morning at 9:30. They will win the pool and will move on to the single-elimination bracket to determine the state champion.
