LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — South Laurel scored in four of the six innings, including six in the fifth, to advance to last night’s 13th Region championship game with a tough 11-9 win over Bell County.

“Bell is as good as everybody said,” South Laurel coach James Burns said. “We threw everything we had in our arsenal.”

In the end, that was enough, but just barely.

The Lady Bobcats had cut the lead to two in the top of the seventh with only one out, but Hagan Burns retired the final two batters to seal the win for the Lady Cardinals. Burns relieved starter Megan Smith in the fifth inning after Bell County had taken a 6-5 lead.

“You’re always concerned when the other teams goes ahead,” Burns said. “We came out and hit the ball at the start of the game. We’d not been hitting well, but I thought we would continue to hit.”

And he was right.

After falling behind 6-5, the Lady Cardinals responded with a six-run fifth inning to take what looked like a commanding 11-6 lead. But Bell County (26-10) came back with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh before being retired two runs short of tying the game.

Both teams came into the game on hot streaks. The Lady Bobcats had won eight of their last nine games, while South Laurel were winners in 13 of its last 14.

Bell County took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but could have had more, leaving two runners stranded. The Lady Bobcats would strand 12 runners in the game. Bell had runners on second and third with two outs before Smith struck out Haley Goodman to end the inning.

The Lady Cards struck for three runs in the bottom of the inning off Rachel Yeary to take a 3-1 lead.

Casie Finley led things off by reaching on an error, and Destinee Fisher followed with a bunt single. Both runners moved up a base on another Lady Bobcat error. Amber Hyde then drove in Finley with a sacrifice fly to right.

Hagan Burns then hit a sinking liner to center where Alisha Russell dove and made the catch, but when she hit the ground the ball popped out of her glove and Fisher came around to score. Chelsea Wemes then blasted a ball off the top of the center field fence, just missing a home run but good enough for a double and an RBI to make it 3-1. The Lady Cards had the bases loaded with one out but couldn’t push any of those runs home when Bailey Miller flew out to center and Wemes was tagged out at home trying to score on the play. South would strand six runners in the game.

Bell County loaded the bases in the top of the second with two outs but Smith got Kristen Slusher to ground out to second to end the inning. The Lady Cards added a solo run in the bottom of the inning when Laura Williams walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, to third on a sacrifice fly, then scored when Hyde reached on an error.

Bell would score two in the third to cut the lead to 4-3, but left two runners on base. The Lady Cards added another run in the bottom of the inning when Cassandra Johnson, running for Smith (who had singled) scored when Miller singled off the fence in right to make it 5-3.

A double by Lauren Spurlock drove in a run for Bell in the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4. The Lady Bobcats opened the fifth  with two one out singles, then a double by Alex Gambrel to take a 6-5 lead and chase Smith from the game, as Burns came in to relive her.

“We made some mistakes early on the defensive side and everything we threw was up in the zone,” Burns said.

Just when it looked like the momentum had shifted to Bell County, South Laurel snatched it right back with a six-run fifth to make it 11-6.

Wemes got things started by reaching on an error. Smith walked, and Hailey Burns followed with a single that scored Wemes to tie it at 6-6. Madyson Morris came in to run for Smith while Jenna Carney was brought in for Burns. Miller was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Williams was also hit by a pitch, forcing in Morris. A double to center by Finley drove in Carney and Miller to up the lead to 9-6.

Fisher then hit a sacrifice fly to center which scored Williams. South’s final run of the inning came when Hagan Burns singled in Finley to up the lead to 11-6.

“The entire line-up hit tonight, from top to bottom,” Burns said.

But the Lady Bobcats refused to go away, scoring one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough, as South Laurel advanced to the region finals, 11-9, and a date with North Laurel. This will be the fifth time since the two Laurel County schools moved to the 13th Region that they will meet for the title. The two teams split their regular season meetings with both games going eight innings.

“Whoever executes will win,” Burns said. “The winner goes to Owensboro.”



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