South Warren's Emma Mills (8) can't make the tag Thursday, June 9, 2016, on Scott County's Hannah Davis (2) during South Warren's 13-4 loss in the Worth/KHSAA state softball tournament at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

OWENSBORO — The South Warren softball team couldn’t overcome a slow start in the Worth/KHSAA state softball tournament, falling to No. 3 Scott County 13-4 on Thursday at Jack C. Fisher Park.

Scott County blitzed the Spartans with a 16-hit attack to drop South Warren into the elimination bracket. South Warren, playing in the state tournament for the first time in school history, will have to win four games on Friday to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.

“Scott County is really good,” South Warren coach Chris Riggs said. “They are one of the top three teams (in this field) as far as being able to win it. They pitch it well. They hit it well. They defend it well. 

“They hit balls… and sometimes they hit it and you can’t defend it. That is just the way it is.”

The Spartans spotted Scott County an 8-0 lead after four innings.

The Cardinals got a run in the second on an RBI single by Hallie Fain and struck for four in the third – including a three-run homer to center by Taylor Ricketts.

The lead grew to 8-0 after the Cardinals scored three more times in the fourth, but South Warren’s offense came to life in the fifth.

The Spartans scored four times  off reliever CeCe Wittry- including an RBI single by Katie Conley and a two-run double from Karson Williams. The Cardinals went back to starting pitcher Kennedy Sullivan, who faced the minimum the rest of the way.

“We made a pitching change and it didn’t go in our favor,” Scott County coach Jeff Portwood said. “Normally that goes in our favor and it didn’t go in our favor. 

“We’ve said it all along – we have a very experienced team, but young. They don’t get rattled. They play through it for the most part.”

Scott County added five runs in the sixth to cap the scoring.

South Warren finished with six hits. Bailee Collins led the way with two hits and a run scored.

“The group came back and showed some heart,” Riggs said. “They kind of got over their nerves a little bit and battled back a bit. We will be ready tomorrow and see what we can do.

“(At) this point you have to build on the positive stuff and learn from the different things you didn’t do as well as you want to. You learn and feed off the positive and come back tomorrow.”

The Spartans will face Anderson County at 11 a.m. on Friday in an elimination game. The Region 8 champion lost to Louisville Holy Cross 10-4 on Thursday. 

“They are a good team as well,” Riggs said. “I told them we will play as long as it takes. We’ll see how it works out. We are going to take it one game at a time and see if we can advance.”

SWHS 000 040 0 –  4    6   4

SCHS 014 305 X  –  13  16  2

WP: Sullivan  LP: Williams

— Follow prep sports reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.