Without a win against district competition since the 2018 season, the Todd County Central Lady Rebels took the field Saturday at Russellville looking to spring the upset over top-seeded Logan County in the 13th-District tournament.
With Jocelyn Mock smacking her first two home runs of the season, the Lady Rebels looked poised to end their losing streak and advance to the title game for the first time in seven seasons before a nine-run sixth gave the Lady Cougars a 16-8 win.
With a pair of five-inning wins in the two regular-season matchups under its belt, Logan County appeared to be in control up 3-0 to start the third, but the Lady Rebels turned things around with the long ball.
After an RBI single by Samantha Case, Todd Central’s Jocelyn Mock blasted the first pitch she saw from Logan starter Shayla Johnson over the center field fence for a three-run home run. Up next, Abigail McPherson also only needed to see a single pitch, depositing it over the left-field fence to take a 5-3 advantage.
Logan County got a run back on an RBI single by Nora Epley, but Mock cracked her second homer of the game with a runner on third to give the Lady Rebels a 7-4 edge after four innings.
A run-scoring single from Johnson and a Kaylin Page RBI double pulled the Lady Cougars even in the bottom of the fifth, but Todd Central nudged back in front at 8-7 in the top of the sixth when Abigail McPherson singled to bring in Abby Williams.
With two on and two out in the bottom of the frame, the Lady Cougars put the game away with three consecutive RBI singles. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks added two more runs before Abby Hinton closed the show with a grand slam.
Maddie Williams started in the circle for the Lady Rebels, working one and a third and yielding four earned runs on five hits with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. McPherson pitched three and a third, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits with five walks and a strikeout. Haylee Vass pitched an inning, giving up three earned runs on four hits.
Shelby Gettings earned the win for Logan, working the last five frames while giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits with a pair of strikeouts. Johnson started and went two innings, yielding five runs, four earned, on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Mock had three hits and five RBI and McPherson was 4/4 at the plate with two driven in. Case had a hit and an RBI, and Abby Williams, Addison Woodall, and Averie Luckenbill each hit safely once.
Hinton drove in four runs for the Lady Cougars, Johnson had three RBI, and Gettings, Nora Epley, and Hailey Collins drove in two each.
Logan County moves to 17-14 and will meet Russellville on Monday in the championship game. Todd Central ends the season at 14-14 with its highest win total since 2013.
