Carlisle
The Pendleton County Ladycats Fastpitch Softball team picked up right where they left off from two seasons ago collecting four wins in five games to begin the 2021 season in impressive fashion.
The Ladycats, led by new head coach Rob Coffey, were able to win in a variety of ways ranging from overwhelming offense to dominant pitching performances. Pendleton County opened the season on March 29 traveling to face Simon Kenton. They wasted no time in seizing control of the contest as they tagged starting pitcher and University of Illinois signee Macy Krohman for several runs highlighted by a three-run homer off the bat of Kayley Bruener. Eighth grader Madison Verst led the way with three hits as Bruener, Sydney Manor, Olivia Verst and Maddy Musk each collected two hits each to pace the team to a 8-5 win. On the mound, Bruener tossed a complete game over seven innings and racked up 11 strikeouts.
On March 30, the Ladycats hosted Conner and rolled to a 12-1 victory. The standout performers in this contest were starting pitcher, Kylie Richardson and shortstop Raegan Carlisle. Richardson tossed a complete game over five innings allowing just one run on two hits and struck out five. Carlisle paced the offense as she reached base in all three plate appearances and finished 2-3 with a triple, double, and three RBI. Following the game, Coach Coffey spoke of the pitching performance he received from Richardson and how her success will benefit the club in the long run.
“I can’t say enough about how well Kylie pitched and how important she is to this team. She had not pitched in a long time but we needed someone to step up and be a reliable number two on this staff and she accepted the challenge. Having her take the mound for us throughout the season allows us to give Bruener some rest that will pay off at the end of the season,” he explained.
On April 2, Pendleton County traveled to Winchester to take part in the Jerry Puckett Cardinal Showcase. Their first opponent was Madison Southern. Strong pitching by Bruener and a three-run fourth inning highlighted this victory as the Ladycats ace pitched tossed a complete game over five innings and struck out nine. She, along with Raegan Carlisle also tripled in the win.
The next day, the Ladycats played a pair of games first taking on Boone County. This was a seesaw affair that was offense heavy as both clubs putting together big innings that saw the Ladycats squeeze out a 9-7 win. Kylie Richardson got the victory on the mound and four players collected multiple hits highlighted by Carlisle’s double in the fourth inning that put her team ahead for good.
The team wrapped up their busy week by squaring off against Dixie Heights at 9 p.m. on April 3. The Ladycats lost the lead late into this one as Dixie Heights pulled out a 6-4 win to hand Pendleton County its first defeat of the season. Madison Verst led the Ladycats hitting attack finishing 3-3.
“Overall, I’m elated with where we’re at right now,” Coach Coffey said. “We didn’t have our full team intact until a couple of weeks ago due to the winter sports season being delayed. So to have those girls come on late and pick up everything so fast is outstanding. I’m also very happy with our pitching, Kayley and Kylie have been dominant at times and we’ve had several girls do big things at the plate. One that really stands out is Madison Verst, to be an eighth grader and showing the kind of poise she does is amazing. She’s going to be a special player in our program.”
Pendleton County will host Campbell County and Lafayette this week and will take on East Jessamine at Dixie Heights.