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Team Huddle
The list of historic achievements for the Pendleton County Ladycats Fastpitch Softball team grew by one gigantic milestone following an upset victory over state powerhouse Louisville Male on April 17 at the Dan Cummins Classic in Georgetown.
Louisville Male, who won the last state tournament contested in 2019, entered the matchup ranked first in the state coaches poll. Pendleton County Ladycats starting pitcher Kayley Bruener pitched masterfully against the high-powered Male offense, scattering five hits and two runs over six innings to earn the win. She also did plenty of damage at the plate going 3-3 including a clutch double in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the Ladycats ahead for good. Sydney Manor and Logan Cooper also had multi-hit games in the victory for Pendleton County which now goes down as the single biggest regular season win in program history.
Pendleton County would not stop there however, as the Ladycats notched victories over two more top 30 ranked opponents during the same day. In their second contest, the team took on Madison Southern and pulled out an 8-6 win. After going ahead by seven runs, the Ladycats were able to fend off a big rally to hold onto the victory. Starting pitcher Kylie Richardson hurled a complete game giving up five hits. The Ladycat offense was generated by Bruener, who had two hits including a home run, and shortstop Raegan Carlisle who finished 2-3 with a triple and three RBI’s.
The Ladycats made it three straight wins on the day by notching an 8-6 win over Marshall County. Once again, they were able to jump out to a big seven-run advantage and hold off a comeback attempt to come away with their ninth overall victory. The Ladycats offense showed out in racking up 12 hits led by senior Olivia Verst who went 3-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBI’s, Raegan Carlisle went 2-3 with three RBI’s, a homer run and two runs scored. Starting pitcher Kayley Bruener totaled six strikeouts and added a pair of hits.
“The coaching staff and I couldn’t be anymore proud of how the team is playing right now,” said head coach Rob Coffey. “We’re seeing them really buying into the culture and techniques that we are showing them. Each week there has been improvement and I still believe we have more room to grow and improve as we go forward,” he added.
Earlier in the week, Pendleton County scored a lopsided victory over Bourbon County 17-0 in three innings. In all, the Ladycats racked up 14 hits as Carlisle led the way going 4-4 with a home run and three runs driven in. Maddy Musk added two hits and a game high four RBI’s and while Bruener, Olivia and Madison Verst all finished with two hits each.
Now 9-3 overall, the Ladycats will look to keep the good momentum going with home matchups versus Highlands, Bishop Brossart and a district road game at Nicholas County.