9 a.m. Central
Game 9. Estill County vs. Boyle County, Blue Field
Game 10. London North Laurel vs. Union Larry A. Ryle, Green Field
Game 11. Louisville Mercy vs. Bowling Green Greenwood, Red Field
Game 12. Owensboro Catholic vs. Lone Oak, Brown Field
11 a.m.
Game 13. Nicholas County vs. Oldham County, Blue Field
Game 14. Ashland Blazer vs. Christian County, Green Field
Game 15. Mount Washington Bullitt East vs. Scott County, Red Field
Game 16. Paintsville Johnson Central vs. Green County
1 p.m.
Game 17. Game 12 loser vs. Game 13 winner, Blue Field
Game 18. Game 11 loser vs. Game 14 winner, Green Field
Game 19. Game 10 loser vs. Game 15 winner, Red Field
Game 20. Game 9 loser vs. Game 16 winner, Brown Field
3 p.m.
Game 21. Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, Red Field
Game 22. Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, Brown Field
5 p.m.
Game 23. Game 17 winner vs. Game 18 winner, Blue Field
Game 24. Game 19 winner vs. Game 20 winner, Green Field
7 p.m.
Game 25. Game 23 winner vs. Game 21 loser, Blue Field
Game 26. Game 24 winner vs. Game 22 loser, Green Field
Thank God for people who sit down and do hard stuff like figuring out fair and reasonable, 16-team, double-elimination software brackets and schedules, and thank God for people who go out and do hard stuff like building four-field softball complexes. What a fun, fun day this looks like for everybody in Owensboro (and, heck, even for those of us who will have to settle for following the action from our desks via the KHSAA and Twitter). Thank God for all the players and coaches, umpires and other officials, bus drivers and hotel/restaurant chaperones, reporters, bracket figure-outers and four-field-complex builders who've had a hand in making all of today's fun possible.
Just in time for the softballers.
ReplyDelete9 a.m. starts in progress:
ReplyDelete-- Lone Oak 5, Owensboro Catholic 0 (third)
-- Greenwood 1, Mercy 0 (third)
-- North Laurel 0, Ryle 0 (fifth)
-- Boyle 5, Estill 0 (fourth)
Courier-Journal's Jason Frakes can see all four games from the press box, but he's most closely following No. 3 Greenwood vs. No. 4 Mercy.
DeleteIn the extra 8th, a Ryle runner scores from second on a single to right, and North Laurel is relegated to the losers' bracket--and the prospect of having to win three more games today after 1 p.m. if the Kelly green, royal blue and white Lady Chargers hope to stay in contention for a state championship.
DeleteBoyle County, state-tournament first-timers, win again: 8-0 over Estill. The Boyle-Ryle winner at 3 p.m. is done until Saturday.
ReplyDeleteSixth inning: Greenwood 1, Mercy 0 ... Mercy coming to bat in the bottom half ...
ReplyDeleteMercy gets runner on first with one out, but Lady Gators' double play sends the game to the seventh and final (?) inning ...
DeleteGreenwood goes down 1-2-3 ... Mercy trails still, 1-0, headed to bottom of seventh ...
DeleteWith two out, Mercy has a runner on second and has just sent up a pinch-hitter ...
DeleteTwo-out pinch-hitter comes through for Mercy! Singles home the tying run. Now that girl has come out for a pinch-runner, and Mercy, in the bottom of the seventh, will be batting for the win ...
DeleteExtra innings!
DeleteMercy has seven hits in this game to Greenwood's three. The Lady Gators' lone run came in the first inning. After a single and walk, errors by Mercy's third baseman and shortstop on the same play got in Greenwood's lone, unearned run.
DeleteGreenwood eighth: 1-2-3, again ...
DeleteMercy's leadoff batter bunt singles. Then, after a groundout advances the runner to second, Greenwood's star sophomore pitcher hits the next batter. Elizabeth Moss steadies, however, for a strikeout, and now we have two out with Mercy runners on first and second ...
DeleteAnother HBP! Bases loaded ...
DeleteGround out to the pitcher, Moss! Headed to the ninth ...
DeleteJason Frakes is also keeping an eye on Twitter ...
DeleteJason Frakes @kyhighs
Ummmmmm, who wants to tell him? RT @DickieV Affirmed in 78 last to win Triple Crown - Will I'll Have Another do it?
11:01 AM - 8 Jun 12
Greenwood gets a two-out single, but that's all. Still 1-1, headed to Mercy's half of the ninth ...
DeleteLady Gator Moss puts down Mercy 1-2-3 in the ninth, striking out the last two batters ... 10th ...
DeleteLong, hard row to hoe for the loser of this game, either the third- or fourth-ranked team in the state ...
DeleteGreenwood has second and third with two out after a couple of 10th-inning singles ...
DeleteIntentional walk ... "out at any base," some lady of Mercy is surely saying ...
DeleteFly out! 1-1, bottom of 10th upcoming ...
DeleteZach Greenwell @zach_greenwell
DeleteMercy's Meiners makes diving catch in the left-center gave to probably save 3 runs. Tied 1-1 going to bottom 10th.
11:24 AM - 8 Jun 12
Single, single, single and Mercy's dive-catching center-fielder comes home with the winning run: 2-1. Greenwood has about an hour and a half to rest up for its next game.
DeleteMiddle of sixth: Lone Oak up, 7-0, on Owensboro Catholic, and Lady Aces are coming to the plate ...
ReplyDeleteCatholic runners on second and third with one out in sixth ...
DeleteCatholic gets in one run. Top of seventh: 7-1, Purple Flash ...
DeleteFinal: Lone Oak (!) 7, Owensboro Catholic 1. The hometown, five-time champs return to the field in a couple of hours.
DeleteElimination games in progress:
ReplyDelete-- Oldham 3, Nicholas 0 in the fourth
-- Christian 3, Blazer 1 in the fourth
-- Green 6, Johnson Central 0 in the third
-- Scott 0, Bullitt East 0 in the first
Oldham and Green counties continue to cruise ... I don't know what the score was in the fourth of the Christian-Blazer game, but I had it wrong; Ashland Blazer now leads, 3-2, in the fifth ... Scott's up 3-0 on Bullitt East in the first ...
DeleteStill 3-2, Blazer, after six full innings, so Christian County's season might be down to three more outs ...
DeleteShame on me ... I should've known to check out to WHOP to see if my main man from Hoptown, Todd Hamilton, had made the trip up to Owensboro today ... indeed, he's on the air, calling the Lady Cols' last gasp ...
ReplyDeleteStrikeout on a bunt attempt.
DeleteAshland Blazer is playing its infielders in, and Todd's color commentator doesn't like County's bunting strategy:
ReplyDelete"They're playing so close up on her, there's no way she could get the ball through on the ground. That third baseman is up so close, she could kiss her."
Wait a second! In tuning in the WHOP stream, I failed to hear that Christian County had actually doubled to open the inning. The Lady Col bunter reached on an error--and then advanced to second as Blazer continued to fumble with the ball. We've got County runners on second and third with one out ...
ReplyDeleteFull count ...
DeleteBall 4 ... bases loaded ...
DeleteOne of the two head coaches in this game is suffering from cancer and is in a wheelchair, per Todd--he relays instructions to assistant coaches who then carry the instructions onto the field ...
DeletePop single not far behind second, but Christian County runner holds a little too close to third--and Ashland Blazer center-fielder throws out the Lady Col at the plate! It's still 3-2, with two out ...
ReplyDeleteOH, MY! Christian County batter reaches on a third baseman's error! The runner on third scores to tie, AND THE RUNNER FROM SECOND BEATS THE THROW TO THE PLATE! LADY COLS LEAD!
DeleteAnd now it's 5-3! Runners on first and third after another Kittens error ...
DeleteThat's it ... headed to bottom of the seventh ... Christian County 5, Ashland Blazer 3 ... WOW!
DeleteGood thing I tuned in Todd.
Kittens No. 2, 3 and 4 batters are due to the plate this inning ...
DeleteThis winner gets Greenwood.
DeleteTwo out, none on for the Kittens ...
Delete"I don't want to jinx them," says Todd's nervous cohort ...
DeleteGroundout ... "Game's over. Well, I'll be."
DeleteEat in Maysville?
DeleteTwenty-minute break before Christian County-Greenwood first pitch ... so WHOP is giving us about seven or eight minutes of Rush Limbaugh so Todd and his buddy can run out to grab sandwiches out of the cooler in their car in the Mayor Jack parking lot.
DeleteFinal: Green County 10, Johnson Central 3.
ReplyDeleteIf I was driving the Lady Eagles' bus, I'd want to get to the other side of Richmond before stopping to eat.
Final: Oldham County 14, Nicholas County 5. As the Bluejackets' bus driver, I'd be thinking Georgetown for dinner en route home to Carlisle.
ReplyDeleteOh, no ... Greenwood's star pitcher, Moss, has injured her back early in the game with Christian County, and she has left the game. Greenwood beat Christian County in the regular season, but the Lady Colonels lead this one already, 1-0, after the first half inning.
ReplyDeletePer that feature by Zach Greenwell yesterday, Moss is considered the state's second-best softball player--behind a player for Allen County-Scottsville.
Updated schedule for remainder of the day:
ReplyDelete1 p.m. (losers' bracket)
-- Game 17. Owensboro Catholic vs. Oldham County, Blue Field
-- Game 18. Bowling Green Greenwood vs. Christian County, Green Field (Christian leads, 1-0, in the second)
-- Game 19. London North Laurel vs. Scott County or Bullitt East, Red Field (Scott leads Bullitt East, 6-2, in the middle of the seventh inning)
-- Game 20. Estill County vs. Green County, Brown Field (Green leads, 2-0, in the second)
3 p.m. (winners' bracket)
-- Game 21. Boyle County vs. Union Ryle, Red Field
-- Game 22. Louisville Mercy vs. Lone Oak, Brown Field
The WHOP bumper music coming back from commercial breaks is "Careless Whisper" by WHAM!
DeleteGreenwood now leads, 2-1, in the third on Christian County.
DeleteScott County has eliminated Bullitt East, 9-3. The Camels can just eat when they get back home in Mount Washington.
DeleteOwensboro Catholic is up, 2-0, in the second on Oldham County, and North Laurel has led off its game with Scott County with a double ...
DeleteFinal: Green County 4, Estill County 0. On the drive back to Irvine, the Lady Engineers could cheer themselves up by stopping in Danville for the balloon race at the Great American Brass Band Festival.
DeleteFinal: Greenwood 8, Christian County 3. Back down U.S. 431 go Todd and the Lady Cols.
DeleteFinal: Owensboro Catholic 6, Oldham County 3. It concerns me that on the school's web site, the Oldham County principal refers to his school's location in relation to Louisville as opposed to just saying it's in Buckner.
DeleteFinal: North Laurel 6, Scott County 3. Too bad it's not the first Friday of June, or the Cardinals could stop off at Rough River Dam State Resort Park for the seafood buffet.
DeleteAnd the winners' bracket resumes: Lone Oak vs. Mercy ...
ReplyDeleteUp 4-1 in only the third, Mercy seems to be going for the kill now against the Purple Flash. With two on and two out, Mercy is going to a pinch-hitter ...
DeleteGround out.
DeleteLone Oak closes to within 4-2 on a fifth-inning, two-out triple ...
DeleteMercy answers in the bottom half: 5-2.
DeleteMercy, hungry: 7-2, final.
DeleteAccording to Wikipedia, Mercy has won 20 state championships in various sports over the last 15 years. They are basically the girls' version of Trinity (at least when it comes to sports).
DeleteBoyle County and Ryle underway now, too ...
ReplyDeleteTwo first-inning errors on Ryle, and Boyle is up, 1-0 ...
DeleteBoyle now in the van by 6-0, in the sixth ...
DeleteFinal: Boyle County 7, Union Ryle 3.
DeleteTonight's games, all eliminators:
ReplyDelete5 p.m.
Game 23. Owensboro Catholic vs. Bowling Green Greenwood, Blue Field
Game 24. London North Laurel vs. Green County, Green Field
7 p.m.
Game 25. Game 23 winner vs. Boyle County or Union Ryle, Blue Field
Game 26. Game 24 winner vs. Lone Oak, Green Field
Game 25 will pit either Owensboro Catholic or Greenwood against Ryle.
DeleteNorth Laurel is blasting Green County, 6-0, in the sixth ... Owensboro Catholic leads Greenwood, 1-0, in the fifth; the Lady Gators' injured star pitcher, Moss, is not playing in this game ...
DeleteGreenwood has tied things at 1 and now has a runner on second in the bottom of the fifth with only one out ...
DeleteThe Lady Gators end up punching ahead, 3-1, but now, in the sixth, Owensboro Catholic is threatening after a two-out double by a pinch-hitter ...
DeleteInning ends on a foul out, and now the five-time champs will try to hold Greenwood's lead to two and take another shot in the top of the seventh ...
DeleteTop of the seventh upcoming, still 3-1, Greenwood ...
DeleteGreenwood holds on. Owensboro Catholic got runners on first and third in the seventh, but it fails to push across a run. So the Aces disperse back to their homes around Owensboro.
DeleteSo, next, Greenwood turned around and beat Ryle, 2-0. This was the third straight game that the Lady Gators won without Elizabeth Moss, their star pitcher, who apparently aggravated a back injury that had been developing over the course of the season, per Zach Greenwell's reporting in Bowling Green's Daily News. Greenwood's coach was even talking about Moss's coming back late in today's action, so, presumably, there's a chance she'll be in action tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSurely Ryle is spending the night in Owensboro and not trying to negotiate the Cannelton bridge and Hoosier National Forest in the dark.
DeleteZach Greenwell @zach_greenwell
DeleteJunior pitcher Brittany Graham's 20 1/3 innings today are more than she had all season (20). Logged three wins today.
8:41 PM - 8 Jun 12
And then here's your game: North Laurel vs. Lone Oak. Courtesy of the KHSAA play-by-play, we pick up the action in the bottom, Lone Oak half of the sixth. The Purple Flash is trailing, 3-2 ...
ReplyDeleteLONE OAK 6th
S Kreuter singled to left field (1-1 FB).
S Kreuter stole second.
P Dillon reached on an error by 3b (1-2 FBF); S Kreuter advanced to third.
P Dillon advanced to second.
A Sorensen reached on a fielder's choice, out at first p to 1b, RBI (0-2 SS); P Dillon advanced to third; S Kreuter scored.
OK, so now it's 3-3 with one out.
K Waldon singled to shortstop, RBI (0-1 K); P Dillon scored, unearned.
4-3, Lone Oak. Still just one out.
M Wooten pinch ran for K Waldon.
H Gary reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop (0-0); M Wooten advanced to second, advanced to third on an error by ss.
K Henson singled, advanced to second, RBI (0-2 FF); H Gary advanced to third; M Wooten scored, unearned.
5-3, Lone Oak. Two out.
J Roof reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop.
Wh Aspery reached on a fielder's choice to third base (0-1 F); J Roof advanced to second; K Henson advanced to third; H Gary out at home 3b to c.
A Sohl reached on a fielder's choice, grounded out to 1b unassisted (0-0).
3 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 3 LOB.
So, with a throwout at home and groundout, North Laurel holds the lead to 5-3, Lone Oak.
NORTH LAUREL 7th
M Vires grounded out to ss (1-2 KFB).
M Baldwin pinch hit for M Mills.
M Baldwin walked (3-2 BFBKBFB).
M Mills pinch ran for M Baldwin.
S Herrell singled to right center (0-1 K); M Mills advanced to second.
K Yantz singled (0-1 K); S Herrell advanced to second; M Mills advanced to third.
K Fields reached on a fielder's choice to third base, RBI (1-1 FB); K Yantz advanced to second; S Herrell advanced to third; M Mills scored.
North Laurel is back within 5-4. One out.
E Sears popped up to 2b (0-0).
Two out.
B Johnson tripled to right field, 3 RBI (0-2 FS); K Fields scored; K Yantz scored; S Herrell scored.
V Smith reached on an error by 2b, advanced to second, RBI (0-2 FKF); B Johnson scored, unearned.
F Strong flied out to rf.
5 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Sky falls in on the Purple Flash--bases-clearing triple, followed by an error, and now North Laurel is ahead, 8-5, and Lone Oak is down to three outs.
LONE OAK 7th
S Kreuter doubled to left field (1-0 B).
P Dillon flied out to rf (1-0 B).
A Sorensen singled, advanced to second, RBI (0-0); S Kreuter scored.
Ya gotta believe! 8-6, one out.
M Wooten pinch ran for A Sorensen.
K Waldon singled to second base (1-1 BK); M Wooten advanced to third.
Wi Aspery pinch ran for K Waldon.
H Gary popped up to 3b (1-1 FB).
Rally-cap time. Two out. Lone Oak still trails, 8-6.
K Henson singled to center field, RBI (0-0); Wi Aspery advanced to second; M Wooten scored.
8-7!
J Roof singled to left center, 2 RBI (0-0); K Henson scored; Wi Aspery scored.
4 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Are you kidding me? Runners score from first and second on a single with game-tying and game-winning run in the final at-bat? Final: Lone Oak 9, North Laurel 8. What an ending!
I don't care if we did extend the reservation through Friday night. I think I'm driving home to London tonight if I'm North Laurel. I want out of Owensboro and to start my summer as quickly as I can. I'm drinking Styrofoam cups of coffee all night. I'm keeping the windows down. And I'm blasting Nebraska the whole way back into the mountains.
DeleteI'm glad to know that the Roofs still know how to hit that ball.
Delete