Lily Hampton
LIBERTY, Ind. – A lot of positive things happened for the Union County girls softball team on Wednesday night, but it didn’t start out that way.
Down by six runs in the second inning, the Patriots were able to fight back to post a 9-8 win in nine innings over Lincoln in a Tri-Eastern Conference battle.
“It was too good of a game to end on a bases loaded walk,” Union County Head Coach Scott Gray said. “Most of our runs came on their mistakes.”
“They let us hang around,’ Gray continued. “Good things happened at the end. What a game.”
Lincoln Head Coach Scott Griffin agreed with Gray’s assessment as the two teams ended the day tied for the top spot in the conference at 4-1.
“We just had too many errors,” he said. “We didn’t play a good defensive game at all and that’s usually one of our strong suits. They’re going to put the ball in play Union County is a good hitting team.”
Union County’s Lily Hampton became a focal point for the Patriots in the final two frames, after she entered the contest as a pinch runner in the eighth.
“We use her in key spots,” Gray said of the speedster. “She works hard every day.”
That effort paid off for Hampton as she led off the bottom of the ninth against Lincoln’s Hannah Hall.
“I just told her get up on the plate and take the first pitch and then the second one we’re going to bunt,” Gray said. “(Hannah) plugged her on the first pitch.”
Two outs and five batters later, Hampton scored the winning run when Madison Walters walked with the bases loaded.
None of that would have mattered without a play in the top of the ninth by Hampton, which was her only inning in the field.
Lincoln’s Laynie Russell blasted a double off the fence in center to begin the inning. She eventually swiped third and with one out the stage was set for Hampton.
Emmie Pugh hit a shot to left field that Hampton was able to control as she tumbled to the ground after it hit her glove. Russell raced home with what would have been the go-ahead run for Lincoln.
“I thought I sent her as soon as it touched the glove and he (the umpire) saw it different,” Griffin said. “They saw it as she left early.”
The end result was a double play that kept the contest tied heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Early Lead
Lincoln appeared to be in total control after the Golden Eagles batted in the second inning.
After a run scored on a passed ball, Madison Siggers added a two-run single and Dakota Harrison hit a sacrifice fly as the Golden Eagles led 4-0 in the first.
Back-to-back RBI singles by Kerrigan Neff and Pugh put Lincoln on top 6-0.
The Road Back
Rachel Sparks relieved Union County starting pitcher Danielle Franklin with two outs in the first inning.
“She handled herself well,” Gray said of her efforts to slow down the Lincoln offense. “She had warmed up, but she wasn’t ready to pitch (that soon). She battled and we made the plays we had to make.”
Union County’s offense started to work in the bottom of the second as Fayth Hill singled home a run to make it 6-1.
In the fourth, the Patriots added a run before Emma Adams knocked in another score in the fifth to make it 6-3.
An error by Lincoln and a RBI ground out by Hill in the sixth closed the gap to 6-5.
Lincoln was able to respond in the top of the seventh with a run-scoring double by Neff and a RBI single by Siggers.
Union County answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
With the bases loaded and two outs, an error by the Golden Eagles allowed the first run to score.
Tanner Henry then banged a double that scored Sparks and Hampton, who had just entered the game as a pinch runner for Franklin.
“We’ve showed pretty good character all year,” Gray said. “We’ve got an experienced group. I feel like we have a special team.”
Both teams are scheduled to play on Thursday. Union County (16-5) is at Union City and Lincoln (9-4) travels to Connersville.