The Ninth Region softball winless drought at the KHSAA state tournament continues.
Friday’s result was Harrison County 13, Holy Cross 0, in six innings, marking the seventh straight season the contingent of teams come back home to Northern Kentucky winless.
For Holy Cross to be to this point was nothing short of magical, defeating three district champions on their way to a regional title. But Friday the lights were a little bright and the opponent was one of the top 10 teams in the state.
“I definitely think this was the best team we played all year,” Indians coach Courtney Turner said. “Not something we’re used to seeing.”
Nonetheless, Holy Cross was able to enjoy all the hoopla and publicity for the week leading into this game. TV crews, numerous media outlets coming out to showcase the team and highlight how they got here.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Turner said. “It’s been great for the team, great for the school. It kind of helped us get ready for this game and the moment and I’m just glad they got to experience it.”
But come 10 a.m. at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Harrison County made it known early they meant business being here. Owyn McCoy hit the first of her two homeruns in the first inning, the second one coming in the third inning, a three-run shot to give the Fillies a 6-0 lead. They were McCoy’s first two homeruns of the season.
“She’s had a lot in her career, though it’s been kind of funny this year that she’s hit so many off the wall,” Fillies coach Chad Persinger said. “She even had one hit on the top of the wall and came back. It’s been kind of a joke all year, and we kept telling her hit line drives, we don’t care about that anyway. But to have two sail out of here is kind of neat and we hope that gets her confidence going moving forward.”
McCoy would finish with seven RBI, Aleigha Newby and Lexie Highlander with two apiece as the Fillies tallied 11 hits on Indians starter Evie Thomas, the defense not helping the cause with four errors in the contest.
“We got under a few early and it gets kind of frustrating early in the game that we were popping some stuff up,” Persinger said. “She didn’t throw as hard as some of the pitchers we faced this year so you got to make adjustments quickly from one at-bat to the next and I felt like we did.”
Holy Cross’ first hit didn’t come until two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ninth Region Tournament hero Kayla Fledderman blooped a single to left center. Zakyah Ryan followed with a bloop single of her own in a near identical spot, giving the Indians just their second runner to second base in the game. The threat ended when Shyanne Ross painted the outside corner for strike three on Zoey Baker.
The Fillies added four more in the sixth to get the game to the run-rule as Isabella Persinger pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth.
The fairy tale ending came to a close for Holy Cross on Friday, but it set a precedent for the future for not only Holy Cross, but other small school teams in Northern Kentucky.
“It definitely gives them some confidence,” Turner said. “If we made it here, why can’t they even taking a tough loss like this? It still feels like we kind of paved the way for some smaller schools.”
After all, Holy Cross is used to punching above their weight, they won a girls’ state basketball title in 2015.
“I went to Holy Cross. I know what it’s like to be an underdog and having to believe in yourself even when other people don’t, and that’s something the team really bought into,” Turner said.
They’ll graduate just four seniors from this year’s team, but it’s four important ones starting with primary pitcher Evie Thomas, first baseman Suzette Klaiss, left fielder Zakyah Ryan and third baseman Jordyn Rieselman.
FILLIES 13, INDIANS 0 (6 innings)
HARRISON COUNTY — 213-034-x — 13-11-1
HOLY CROSS — 000-000-x — 0-2-4
2B — (Harrison) Ross, Hamm, Highlander
HR — (Harrison) McCoy 2
RBI — (Harrison) McCoy 7, Newby 2, Highlander 2, Dye
R — (Harrison) McCoy 4, Hamm 3, Ross 2, Persinger 2, Highlander, Walls
WP — Ross. LP — Thomas.
Records: Harrison County 34-6, Holy Cross 18-13