The KHSAA softball postseason got underway in Northern Kentucky on Sunday with seven games played in three districts.
Here’s how the action unfolded:
33rd District at Boone County
Ryle 2, Cooper 1
Spare the slugfest in this one.
When these two met twice in the regular season, 49 runs were scored in the two games, 36 in the first meeting.
On Sunday afternoon, it was a pitchers duel. Ryle’s (19-11) Makenna Hirshey’s two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Lady Raiders a walk-off victory and a berth into next week’s 9th Region tournament, their fourth trip in the last five seasons.
Leah Broussard got the action going with a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Madison Bodenbender pinch ran for Broussard, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brooklyn Roland. On the first pitch Hirshey saw, she slotted it into left field, scoring Bodenbender.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
Ryle was the first to strike in this affair, Rayne Patsel’s sacrifice fly scoring Kiley Patterson in the first. Cooper responded quickly in the second, but definitely left a lot on the table as they had the bases loaded and no outs.
Taylor Nevels’ fielders choice scored Sadie James, but resulted in a double play with a runner on third and two outs. Patsel struck out Audrey Stith to end the threat.
Patsel pitched four innings, scattering seven hits with two walks and struck out two with just the earned run allowed. Addison Farmer came on in relief and got the victory with three innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out one. She threw 36 pitches, 26 of them for strikes. She improved her record to 7-2 on the season. Ryle got a hit apiece from six different players.
Lily Spraker pitched a complete game for Cooper, allowing six hits, an earned run and struck out two without walking a batter. Of her 78 pitches, 55 were strikes. Alivia Scott and Desiree Mack had two hits apiece to lead the Lady Jaguars. Cooper’s season ends at 18-11-1.
Conner 8, Boone County 1
Conner (19-10) is headed to its third straight district championship game as they got a complete game, four-hitter from eighth grader Bayli Bell in the circle.
Jocelyn Ortiz collected three hits, Addison Santiago and Alexa Hamilton with two each as the three combined for seven of the team’s 12 hits. The Lady Cougars tallied six extra base hits with three doubles and three triples.
After Boone County opened the first with a run on an error, Conner wasted no time separating with three runs in the bottom half of the first and three more in the third. They added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Alivia Miller pitched a complete game for Boone County, allowing 12 hits and eight earned runs. She struck out one and didn’t walk a batter, 61 of her 84 pitches going for strikes. Boone County’s season comes to a close at 12-20. It marks the fifth straight season they’ve missed out on the region tournament.
34th District at St. Henry
Villa Madonna 19, St. Henry 11
The Vikings (16-10) are headed to the district championship for the first time since 2023.
It was a monster day at the plate for Villa’s Charlotte Pinkiewicz at the plate. She went 4-for-5 with eight RBI. Cam Kratzer also had a productive day hitting, driving in four runs with three hits. Kratzer also collected her 700th career strikeout in the circle, getting the victory to improve to 16-9 on the season. Brooklyn Clark added two hits and an RBI.
St. Henry’s five errors in the contest proved costly, allowing nine unearned runs to cross the plate. Payton Wright led the Crusaders in hitting with three hits and five runs driven in as she smacked a double and a triple.
Villa Madonna’s 12-run third inning proved to be the difference maker. They added three more in the fourth for a 15-2 advantage and just three outs away from a run-rule victory. St. Henry scored four in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game and each team added four runs in the sixth.
St. Henry’s season comes to a close at 15-7, their most wins in a season since 2018.
Lloyd Memorial 22, Ludlow 4 (Quarterfinals, 3 innings)
Dixie Heights 19, Lloyd Memorial 1 (Semifinals, 3 innings)
32nd District at Grant County
Simon Kenton 18, Williamstown 0 (3 innings)
Grant County 7, Walton-Verona 5