It was a run that many thought was improbable, unless if you were a South Laurel Lady Cardinal player, coach or fan.
Myself?
I knew the Lady Cardinals possessed talent, but being able to navigate the road to the finals would be a tough one for sure.
Boy, was I wrong.
South Laurel entered the 13th Region Tournament with an 18-12 record while coming off it’s worst loss of the season, an 11-1 setback to Corbin in the 50th District title game.
The Lady Cardinals garnered the L4 Security 13th Region Media Network’s No. 3 ranking behind No. 2 Corbin, who was the defending 13th Region champions, and No. 1, and tournament favorite, Corbin.
And of course, South Laurel’s luck, they drew cross-town rival North Laurel in the first round.
The Lady Jaguars had their way with the Lady Cardinals during their only regular season meeting, winning, 7-1, while limiting North Laurel to only two hits, and collecting 10 Ks.
But all of that didn’t seem to matter when it counted most.
South Laurel jumped out on the Lady Jaguars early, and held on to win, 7-5, while becoming only one of three teams to beat North Laurel in 34 games this season.
The Lady Cardinals accomplished the feat behind eighth-grader Kenzie Williams. She allowed only two hits, and one earned run while striking out eight batters.
At the plate, Morgan Jackson, and Skye Lawson were two of four South Laurel players that finished with two hits apiece. Jackson drove in three runs while Lawson drove in two.
Carly Mink’s squad had another big game in front of them during the semifinals with upstart Lynn Camp entering the game with a No. 4 ranking.
Williams dominated once again, improving to 2-0 in regional play while limiting the Lady Wildcats to only three hits, and one earned run during the Lady Cardinals’ 10-1 victory. Williams also added eight Ks.
Addison Baker was the hero at the plate against Lynn Camp, going 4-for-5 with an RBI, and two runs scored. Lawson had another big game, with two hits, three RBI, and one run scored. Once again, four players had at least two hits apiece for South Laurel.
And then came the region title game.
The Lady Cardinals entered their second game of the region tournament as underdogs.
And once again, they could have cared less.
They faced-off against a Corbin team that had beaten them three times this season while outscoring them, 26-9.
But that didn’t seem to matter.
South Laurel scored six runs in the game’s first two innings, and that was it. The Lady Cardinals captured the fastpitch program’s seventh region title, and first since 2014.
Tournament MVP, Kenzie Williams, took over from there, putting on a shut down effort in the pitcher’s circle. She allowed Corbin only four hits while shutting out the Lady Redhounds for the first time since South Laurel beat them, 4-0, in the finals of the 50th District Tournament way back on May 20, 2014.
Williams also finished with eight strikeouts, and set a South Laurel fastpitch program record with her 195 total strikeouts. In her last 18 innings she has pitched, Williams has only given up one run.
Aubree Laster led South Laurel with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate while scoring once. Skye Lawson was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a run scored while Madison Worley finished with a hit, a run scored, and two RBI.
So, how did they pull this off?
It’s easy to say after the tournament, they were the best team, but you know what, they were the best team, and I underestimated them a tad bit. But, I also thought if given a chance to throw three games in a row, Williams could get the job done inside the pitcher’s circle.
And the hitters, boy were they clutch. Total team effort at the plate.
Some might think of it as an improbable run, (I had some fun and asked the Apple AIChatbox generator to give me the chances of South Laurel winning the region tournament before things began, and the chances were 12.5 percent), but like I said, the players, coaches, and fans didn’t, and after this historic run, I must admit, the best team won the championship.
Hat’s off to South Laurel’s players, and coaches for a job well done.
