WILLIAMSBURG — Whitley County and Lynn Camp hooked up in a rollercoaster of a game on the diamond with the Lady Colonels holding on to even their record at 1-1 by defeating the Lady Wildcats, 15-14.
It was a game of emotions that saw the Lady Colonels build a 9-0 lead after two innings, and a 14-3 advantage after four innings before Lynn Camp began to rally.
The Lady Wildcats (0-1) cut their deficit to 14-9 with six runs in the top of the fifth inning before Whitley County added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score, 15-9.
That run was key because Lynn Camp added five more runs in the top of the seventh inning before it’s rally ended.
“Our girls came out hot tonight at the plate, and were able to capitalize on some Lynn camp errors,” Whitley County coach Angela Singleton said. “Lynn Camp is a good hitting team and they started connecting with the ball. Our defense had some miscues due to communication and knowing where the runners are.
“I have no doubt our girls will learn from those mistakes and come back stronger on defense,” she added. “I was happy to see our bats come alive early on the game, but they stalled out there for a few innings. We need to work on keeping that same momentum and energy throughout the entire game.”
Kara Canada weathered the storm for the Lady Colonels in the pitching circle. She tossed a complete game while surrendering 14 hits, and eight earned runs. She also struck out four batters.
Whitley County didn’t help itself out defensively, committing five errors that led to six unearned runs.
Morgan Huddleston led the Lady Colonels with two hits, three RBI, and two runs scored while Chandra Price finished with two hits, two RBI, and three runs scored. Hallie Huddleston had two hits, one RBI, and one run scored while Amber Brown finished with a hit, and RBI, and three runs scored. Ryleigh Petrey collected a hit and two RBI, and scored twice while Charley Chaney finished with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Jadyn Johnson collected a hit while Ciara Pittman had a hit, and scored once.
Allison Messer had a big game at the plate for Lynn Camp. She hit a home run, and finished 4-for-5 with two RBI, and three runs scored. Jorja Carnes had two hits, three RBI, and one run scored while Julie Moore finished with two hits, and RBI, and two runs scored. Haylie Gray collected a hit, two runs scored, and two RBI while Cambree Prewitt had a hit, two RBI, and one run scored. Chelsea Hendrickson collected two hits, an RBI, and a run scored while Lily Henize finished with a hit, and two runs scored.
Carnes took the loss in the pitcher’s circle, allowing 12 hits, and seven earned runs while striking out three batters. The Lady Wildcats committed nine errors that led to eight unearned runs.
“I have a young team this season, but they showed a lot of heart and determination this game,” Lynn Camp coach Nikki Hendrix said. “We had a lot of mistakes early on and they could’ve gave up, but they fought back and made it a ballgame. Jorja Carnes pitched a really good game. We hit the ball really well, which was encouraging. Allie Messer hit her first home run of the season.
“Obviously, I wish we would’ve won, but I’m proud of how they fought,” she added. “We just made too many mistakes to beat a good team, but it definitely showed that we can play with the better teams in the region.”
Whitley County will be back in action Thursday on the road against Pulaski County at 6 p.m. while Lynn Camp will host Berea at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
