LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — WINCHESTER—After winning a tough 1-0 game on Saturday, the North Laurel 9-10 year old girls’ All-Star suffered an 11-3 loss to North Oldham Monday.

“We struggled to get our bats going,” coach Recil Jones said.

North gave up six runs in the sixth inning and were trailing, 11-3, before scoring three runs late.

Skylar Brewer and Abbie Lay both walked and Taylor Combs hit an inside-the-park home run to account for the three North Laurel runs.

North Laurel was scheduled to face Marion County Tuesday.

North Laurel 1, South Shore 0

Both pitchers were on their game in Saturday’s 9-10 year old girls’ game in the state tournament between North Laurel and South Shore Stan Spence.

North’s Payten Gregory and Stan Spence’s Haven Layne locked up in the duel, with Gregory and North emerging with a 1-0 victory.

Gregory struck out 15 batters, walked three and gave up three hits. Layne gave up one run on three hits while fanning nine and walking none.

“Outstanding pitching performance,” North Laurel coach Recil Jones said of Gregory’s effort. “And she helped herself with the double in the first that led to our run.”

Gregory doubled to left in the bottom of the first with one out. The ball actually beat her to second base, but the South Shore Stan Spence player didn’t tag her. She advanced to third on a ground out, then scored when Brianna Houston’s single dropped between the shortstop and left fielder for the 1-0 lead.

That would be all Gregory and North needed even though South Shore Stan Spence did have opportunities.

In the third inning Ashley Newman singled with two outs then stole second and third but was left stranded there when Gregory struck out the next batter.

Then in the fourth, Layne singled to lead off the inning, stole second and third, but was left there when Gregory fanned the next three batters. Gregory would also strike out the side in the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth North’s Megan Sechrest singled with two outs but North couldn’t push her across.

Stan Spence left two runners on base in the top of the sixth as Newman led off with a single, stole second and third. Gregory struck out the next two batters but walked Jacqueline Bautista, who stole second. With runners on second and third, Gregory struck out the final batter to end the game.

“It was a heck of a team effort,” Jones said. “All the girls played great. The girls played great defense and were very patient at the plate.”

The finals are scheduled for tonight at 6 p.m.

sports@sentinel-echo.com