OWENSBORO, Ky. – Holy Cross High School softball coach Tony Young picked Scott County as the team to beat in this week’s Worth/KHSAA State Tournament, and the Cardinals showed why Friday morning.
Behind the strong pitching of Kennedy Sullivan and the big bats of Halie Fain and Taylor Ricketts, Scott County beat Holy Cross 11-0 in a winners bracket quarterfinal at Jack C. Fisher Park.
The game was called after six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Sullivan pitched four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out nine. CeCe Wittry pitched two perfect innings of relief.
Fain finished 3 for 4 with three runs, and Ricketts was 1 for 4 with a three-run home run that gave Scott County a 10-0 lead in the sixth inning. The Cardinals finished with 15 hits.
No. 3-ranked Scott County (33-2) advanced to face No. 7 Male (31-8) in a winners-bracket semifinal set for 4 p.m. EDT Friday.
No. 19 Holy Cross (29-11-1) fell into the consolation bracket and will face the Johnson Central-East Carter winner at 2 p.m.
Allie Just had the Cougars’ only hit against Scott County.
SCOTT COUNTY 130 304 – 11 15 0
HOLY CROSS 000 000 – 0 1 4
WP – Kennedy Sullivan. LP – Allie Just. HR – Taylor Ricketts (SC). 2B – Hannah Davis (SC), Grace Mullins (SC).