HEBRON ESTATES – After deciding that it was too cold to play earlier in the week and a game with Central Hardin was moved to late in the season, the Bullitt East Lady Chargers entered Thursday’s somewhat warmer game against North Bullitt with only two contests under their belts.
That didn’t seem to be a problem for the red and gold as they defeated their county rivals 10-1 as they scored at least a single run in five different innings.
This is the final season at North Bullitt without lights and so the game started at 5:30 p.m. and that was good as this one ended with the sun setting.
Bullitt East scored twice in the top of the first and added single runs in three of the next four innings. While not really threatened, the Lady Chargers took control of the game with five runs in the top of the sixth, but they could not get that last run to end the game early.
The red and gold collected 18 hits in the win, including a long home run off the bat of sophomore Mollie Johnston that opened the fifth inning. The Lady Chargers also got doubles from Courtney Bass, Alivia Cooper, Madison Baudino and Emma Thompson.
Cooper led the Bullitt East hit parade with four in the lead-off spot. Baudino and Bass each had three hits while two hits were collected by Thompson, Johnston and Taylor Pierce.
Johnston, who just 11 days earlier was playing in the Sixth Region Basketball championship game, also pitched a complete game. The sophomore gave up six hits and the only run was earned. Johnston struck out nine and walked just one on 94 total pitches with 64 of those being strikes.
North Bullitt had won for the first time in five games the day before hosting Bullitt East, beating district rival Moore 14-0 in five innings. After losing to Atherton a day later, the Lady Eagles ended the second week of the season with a 1-6 record.
This is the only regular season game scheduled between the two Bullitt County rivals. Bullitt East has now won five straight against the Lady Eagles. The last win for North Bullitt came during the 2019 season and is the only win for the green and gold in the season since the 2009 campaign, the first to last season when the teams were playing twice during each regular season.
Bullitt East would score all the runs it would need in the top of the first inning. Bass got the first hit and with two outs moved to second on a wild pitch. She then scored on a single by Johnston. After Pierce singled, Baudino drove in the second run with a single.
In the second inning, another Bullitt East basketball player, Carli Bryant , singled with one out. Back at the top of the line-up, Cooper singled with Bryant going to third. Bryant then scored on a ground-out by Bass.
In the bottom of the second, North Bullitt scored its only run on what turned out to be a double play with the outs at home and third base. Sydney Wiseman started the inning with a single and moved up when Amree Hammons singled back up the middle. The Lady Eagles then loaded the bases on a single by Bella Markwell.
The fourth straight hit for the Lady Eagles was a single by Mackenzie Phillips that scored Wiseman. However, Thompson got the ball in centerfield and threw it to Johnston whose throw home got the out. Cooper came up throwing on the play to third and Baudino put the tag down to get the double play. The inning then ended with a fly ball out and just one run for the Lady Eagles.
In the fourth inning, North Bullitt pitcher Amree Hammons got the first two outs before Cooper doubled to the fence in left field. Bass then drove the run home with a double of her own.
Johnston’s home run in the fifth inning made it 5-1.
Bullitt East then sent ten batters to the plate in a long sixth inning. After an out, Cooper laced a shot that handcuffed the shortstop. That brought North Bullitt head coach Jason Andres to the circle and he switched Gabby Coy and Hammons as the pitcher and third baseman.
Bass then greeted Coy with a double and Cooper’s courtesy runner, Tessa Parker, who had stolen second earlier in the at-bat, came around to score. Thompson followed with an infield grounder that was knocked down, but no play was made at a base as Bass scored.
Following the second out, Pierce singled with Thompson scoring. Baudino added a single and Payton Patterson followed with a single that plated another run. Baudino then scored the tenth run when Mingus’ ground ball was misplayed.
While Bullitt East was scoring, Johnston was settling in with her pitching. The sophomore allowed just one walk after North Bullitt 7th-grader Addison Ferguson singled to start the third inning.
Hammons did most of the pitching for North Bullitt. Overall, she worked 6.1 innings while Coy got two outs in the sixth inning before Hammons returned to pitch the seventh. Hammons took the loss with six runs with five earned runs. The sophomore struck out nine while walking just one. Coy gave up five hits and four runs, three of which were earned.
Bullitt East finished the first two weeks of the regular season with a 2-1 record. The Lady Chargers did have a big game on Tuesday, playing at home against Butler. The team has three games scheduled this week before heading to Pigeon Forge for spring break to play games at the Cal Ripken Experience. Bullitt Central will be at the same location but the teams are not scheduled to play each other.
Lady Eagles Struggle
The first two weeks have been tough for a young and inexperienced North Bullitt team. The green and gold played eight games through the first two weeks of the season with the only win being the 14-0 decision over Moore on Wednesday.
In that district win, Coy was perfect in the circle in the five-inning contest. The junior did not allow a hit and did not walk or hit a batter. Of the 15 outs she recorded 12 were by strikeouts.
The North Bullitt offense had only eight hits including a pair of doubles by Markwell along with doubles by Coy and Paige Brooks. Moore pitching walked ten batters and the Lady Mustangs had three errors.
The week really got off to a bad start with the Lady Eagles lost at North Oldham on Monday by a 15-14 score. The green and gold scored five times in the top of the seventh to tie the game, but then gave up a double, a wild pitch and a error that allowed the Lady Mustangs to score the winning run.
North Bullitt had 16 hits in the loss including a home run by senior Alia Pearce, a grand slam in the top of the seventh that tied the game. The team also got a triple by Ferguson and a double by Wiseman. Both Brooks and Wiseman had four hits in the game.
However, the North Bullitt defense did not help their pitchers as they made six errors leading to only 11 of the 15 runs being earned.
After the loss to Bullitt East on Thursday, the Lady Eagles dropped a 7-4 decision to visiting Atherton. The defense made six errors in this game and all seven of the North Bullitt hits were singles. Atherton broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fifth inning.
The Lady Eagles had three games scheduled for this week and then will take some time off and practice as they are staying at home this year over spring break, not playing any games next week.
North Bullitt will return to action on April 9 with a game at home against Whitefield Academy.