Lady Panthers fall 7-1 in All A Tournament

Missed opportunities.

Kristin Sherrard/The News-Democrat

Senior Haley Damron hits a single to single to centerfield in the bottom of the fifth inning. She finished the game 2-3 with two singles.

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Kristin Sherrard/The News-Democrat

Freshman catcher Brittany Yocum (not pictured) throws down a runner attempting to steal third to freshman third baseman Kayla Williamson in the top of the sixth inning.

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That was the name of the game for Carroll County in their All A tournament match up against Owen County at home Saturday.

The Lady Panthers edged the Lady Rebels in hits, 6-5, but left 13 runners on base and committed five errors. Final score: Owen 7, Carroll 1.

“We just weren’t ready to go today, and that’s my fault,” head coach Ken Blair said. “When I’m talking about ‘prepare,’ I’m talking about in practice. We’re obviously not focusing on what we need to be focusing on in practice. We’ve got to work a lot harder, coaches and players.”

Past balls and throwing errors allowed the Lady Rebels to jump out to a 3-0 lead after three innings.

The Lady Panthers had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the second with two runners on, but struck out twice in a row to leave them stranded.

In the bottom of the third, Kelsey Ogden hit a lead off double to left field. Two more batters walked, giving Carroll bases loaded with one out. However, the next two batters struck out, spelling another missed opportunity for the home team.

Carroll finally got on the board in the fourth inning. Mackenzi Hawkins hit a single between shortstop and left field, and Ogden followed her up with a single to right field. With runners on the corners, Tasha Hunter squared around to show bunt, and Ogden took off for second base. The throw was off the mark, allowing Hawkins to score, 5-1.

The Lady Panthers continued to threaten, getting runners on base, but could not capitalize when it mattered most.

Kayley Perry took the mound for the Lady Panthers, throwing her first complete game in over a week after being sick. While she struggled to hit her spots at times, giving up nine walks, she also struck out four batters.

When asked about his team’s fielding errors, Blair said it was actually an improvement over their average of seven per game. “We’ve been focusing on the hitting, and we’ve been trying to focus, the last practice or two, on fielding and throwing,” he said. “It’s gotten a little bit better the last couple of games, just not where we need to be. We’re going to keep working though.”

Mackenzie Ogden, who hit a homerun in the JV game against Gallatin County Thursday, left the game in the top of the third inning with an injury. The team was also without pinch runner Emily Baker with a sprained ankle.

“I think if we can ever get all of our team healthy,” Blair said, “and get everybody with the right frame of mind that we can be competitive.”