LEXINGTON — To some, it was an improbable run, to the South Laurel Lady Cardinals’ players, coaches, and fans, it was no surprise they captured the fastpitch program’s seventh 13th Region championship, and first since 2014, last week.
It wasn’t easy either.
The path to the championship meant South Laurel had to defeat three of the top four teams in the region, including cross-town rival, and top-ranked North Laurel along with No. 2 ranked Corbin, who was the defending 13th Region champion.
Once again, the Lady Cardinals didn’t seem phased, they just took things one game at a time.
“We come into every season with the expectation to compete for a region championship and with this particular group the expectation was no different,” South Laurel coach Carly Mink said. “I knew we could be good, but a lot of different things go into having a successful season.
Led by one of the top young pitchers in the state in eighth grader Kenzie Williams, along with a solid senior group, and underrated players, South Laurel got the job done when it mattered.
The Lady Cardinals had a combined 0-4 mark against Corbin, and North Laurel entering the regional tournament, but left with impressive 7-5 (over the Lady Jaguars), and 6-0 (over the Lady Redhounds) victories, and not to mention their 11-1 win over Lynn Camp.
“Our seniors have provided a foundation for our underclassmen,” Mink said. “They show up every day and lead by example. They have provided a toughness about this team and I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
The team hurdled many obstacles throughout the season — with only 10 players coming out for the team, the coaching staff brought up four eighth graders that played big roles in the team’s success; players having to deal with injuries throughout the season, right before a regional tournament game began, and during the region title game; the team’s leading home run home hitter, Emmie Rice, suffering a season-ending injury on the day of South Laurel’s regional matchup with North Laurel; a player’s mother passing away in a car accident on senior night.
Those are just some of the obstacles the Lady Cardinals went through during the season, but they never quit, and kept marching in until the battle was won.
“The chemistry of this team since day one made this team special,” Mink admitted. “Throughout the course of the year, this team faced many obstacles on and off the field and this group just continued to get closer. When you have talent and good team chemistry anything is possible.
“I really feel like we took something from every game and learned from it,” she added. “We tried to challenge our team with a tougher schedule and we were able to prove to ourselves that we were never out of any game. But a lot of things came together on senior night. Our team really came together that night and learned the value of playing for your teammate.”
