By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
One way or another, history will be made in the 9th Region fast-pitch softball championship game between Highlands and Holy Cross scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Thomas More University.
If Holy Cross wins, it will be the Indians first post-season region championship in softball. If Highlands wins, the Bluebirds will become the first team to take the title four consecutive years since the eight-team format began in 2008.
Highlands defeated Notre Dame, 2-1, and Holy Cross upset Ryle, 3-1, in Monday’s semifinals to create the interesting matchup. The Bluebirds are considered a heavy favorite, but coach Milt Horner downplayed that fact.
“Don’t ever count anybody out,” Horner said. “We’ve got more experience than they do, but they’re on a roll. So nothing about overwhelming favorites. I’m sure it’s going to be a good game Wednesday night.”
Highlands 2, Notre Dame 1
Highlands freshman Kate Class has a modest total of 38 hits during her two-year varsity career. Picking the most exciting one would’ve been hard to do until Monday when her two-run single lifted the Bluebirds to victory in the 9th Region semifinals.
With the bases loaded and two out in the fourth inning, Class lined a single to right field that plated the two runs her team needed to get past Notre Dame.
“That was the biggest hit of my career, for sure,” Class said. “I just heard the crack of the bat and just ran. I didn’t even look where it went this time.”
Five Highlands players got a single off Notre Dame senior pitcher Abby Turnpaugh, who had 10 strikeouts during the game.
Class had two strikes when she delivered the game’s biggest hit.
“That swing is something we’ve worked on and worked on, and she did it,” coach Horner said. “We preach, ‘Two strikes, just get the ball in play,’ and she did exactly that. She got the barrel (of the bat) on the ball.”
Highlands junior pitcher Kaitlyn Dixon also gave up five hits. In the bottom of the fourth, Notre Dame had runners on second and third with two outs when second baseman Morgan Pompilio made a running catch on a fly ball above her head to end the inning.
Notre Dame scored its one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ava Auberger ripped a triple down the right field line and scored on a ground out by Turnpaugh. But the Pandas went down in order in the seventh.
Dixon has given up only two runs in the last six games and will take a 1.01 ERA into the region final.
She was the winning pitcher in the last two region championship games and would like to make it three in a row.
“I think it’s more of a welcome pressure,” Dixon said of the being defending champions. “We’re feeding off it and its building our confidence. We know what we can do, and the only thing that can beat us is ourselves.”
HIGHLANDS 000 200 0 — 2 5 1
NOTRE DAME 000 001 0 — 1 5 1
WP — Kaitlyn Dixon (8 Ks). LP — Abby Turnpaugh (10 Ks). HITTING LEADERS: H — Kate Class 2 RBI. ND — Ava Auberger 3B. RECORDS: Highlands 29-6, Notre Dame 17-6.
Holy Cross 3, Ryle 1
Holy Cross won its region semifinal game behind a solid pitching performance by senior Evie Thomas, who limited Ryle to two hits and one unearned run. She had 11 strikeouts and didn’t give up a walk.
“Whatever she was throwing, she had our batters missing it,” said Ryle coach Dave Meier. “There were a lot of lot of swings and misses, and we haven’t done that in very many games this year.”
Holy Cross took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a run-scoring single by freshman Madison Urlage.
In the fifth, they had bases loaded with two outs when senior Suzette Klais was hit by a pitch and senior Jordyn Reiselman singled to drive in runs that made it 3-0.
The only costly error committed by the Indians came in the sixth inning when a high pop up in the infield was dropped by Klais.
That put a runner at second base and she scored on a two-out single by Ryle freshman Korlin Rechtin.
Ryle defeated Holy Cross, 9-0, in a regular season game on May 7. Thomas gave up five runs in the first three innings that day, partly because she was suffering from shin splints, but she was confident going into Monday’s rematch.
“I got to learn what their hitters were doing and I got to know what pitches to throw against their hitters the first time (we played), so I came ready for this game,” Thomas said.
Holy Cross won the 9th Region All “A” Classic tournament earlier this season. They’ve never been in a post-season title game, but they’re looking forward to the challenge.
“Being the underdog really motivates me, coming from a small school,” Thomas said. “Nothing to lose. that’s what our whole season has been, because nobody expected much from us.”
HOLY CROSS 001 020 0 — 3 8 1
RYLE 000 001 0 — 1 2 1
WP — Evie Thomas (11 Ks). LP — Laci DeLauder (9 Ks). HITTING LEADERS: HC — Madison Urlage 2-4, Paige Lachmann 2-4, Zakyah Ryan 2-3. RECORDS: Holy Cross 17-12, Ryle 18-9.
Softball region tournaments
9TH REGION AT THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY
Wednesday at Thomas More University
Championship game: Highlands vs. Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m.
10TH REGION AT PENDLETON COUNTY
Tuesday
Harrison County vs. Mason County, 5 p.m.
Campbell County vs. Montgomery County, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 6 p.m.
Baseball region tournaments
9TH REGION AT THOMAS MORE STADIUM, FLORENCE
Wednesday
Highlands vs. Dixie Heights, 5 p.m.
Conner vs. Beechwood, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 8 p.m.
8TH REGION AT THOMAS MORE STADIUM, FLORENCE
Tuesday
Simon Kenton vs. North Oldham, 5:30 p.m.
Walton-Verona vs. Spencer County, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.
10TH REGION AT CAMPBELL COUNTY
Tuesday
Harrison County vs. George Rogers Clark, 5:30 p.m.
Campbell County vs. Montgomery County, 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 6 p.m.