Lady Raiders walk off Greenwood
Published 10:50 pm Monday, May 26, 2025
Down to its final out with the season on the line in Monday’s Region 4 Tournament opener against Greenwood at the WKU Softball Complex, Warren East’s Kenzie Upton was given the green light on a 3-0 count and two runners on.
Upton delivered, with a ball that caromed off the first baseman’s glove and rolled down the line – allowing the Lady Raiders to stun Greenwood 3-2 and keep its season alive.
Warren East (24-11) snapped a six game losing streak to the Lady Gators – earning its first win over Greenwood since 2021.
“I almost gave her the take, but I was like this is her senior moment right here. Let her have it,” Warren East coach Jennifer Brooks said. “She did it. She ran off with it.”
The walk-off win came on a day when both teams were able to get runners on base, but unable to cash in for most of the game.
Greenwood (30-9) got three hits in the first – including an RBI single from Madelyn Allen – to take a 1-0 lead.
Warren East threatened with runners at second and third with one out, but Abigail Byrd was able to escape with a pair of strikeouts. Allen struck again to lead off the third – with a solo homer to left-center that extended the advantage to 2-0.
Callie Huff followed with a double, but Tristen Lindsey was able to keep her there, retiring the next three batters. Lindsey went the first four innings with Autumn Brooks pitching the final three, allowing one hit.
“Greenwood has got so many good hitters that after they’ve seen a pitcher two rounds they start to catch on,” Jennifer Brooks said. “I knew coming into the game I didn’t want them to get that third look at Tristen. I needed to throw them off balance with a new pitcher. I was really proud of our pitchers holding the hitters to where they were.”
Autumn Brooks credited her teammates for the strong performance.
“We wouldn’t be anything without our defense behind us,” Autumn Brooks said. “Our defense is lockdown. No matter if our bats are going or not, we have a defense that is going to lock it down no matter what happens.”
With Greenwood unable to add on, Warren East was able to eventually take advantage.
The Lady Raiders threatened again in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs. Once again Byrd escaped unscathed, sandwiching a pair of force outs at the plate around a line drive to medium left.
Warren East finally got on the board in the fifth on an RBI single by Addison Lee. The Lady Raiders had a chance to tie or take the lead, but left two more runners in scoring position to end the inning.
The Lady Raiders got one more chance in the seventh. Lydia Jones and Jordan Brooks opened with singles to put the tying and winning runs on. Autumn Brooks flew out for the first out. Addison Lee was next and drilled a hard liner that shortstop Molly Spidel made a leaping catch for the second out. Spidel fired to first to nearly complete the game-ending double play, but the umpires ruled that pinch runner Kaylee Jones got back just in time.
That set the stage for Upton, who worked the count to 3-0 before a grounder just inside the first-base bag that hit the fielder’s glove and rolled down the right-field line allowing both runners to score.
“I’m not going to lie, that is my favorite pitch to swing at,” Upton said. “It was nerve-wracking. Throughout the season Coach B has told me on 3-0, ‘If it is your pitch, you hit it,’ and I did. I thought she had it and I was really worried.
“We always push ourselves to be better. We are a fighting team and we never give up.”
Lydia Jones finished with three of the Lady Raiders’ nine hits. Warren East was 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position – stranding nine.
Allen had two hits for Greenwood, which was 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.
“We didn’t hit it up and down the lineup,” Greenwood coach Rodney Bush said. “We didn’t string hits together. We left too many runners on base. We didn’t make some plays when we needed to make them. Abigail did a great job. I feel terrible for her.”
The win continues a postseason gauntlet for the Lady Raiders, who entered the District 15 Tournament as the three seed before beating 26-win Allen County-Scottsville in the opening round. Warren East upset top seed Barren County to win the district title and added a win against a Lady Gators team that was ranked No. 2 in the state in the final coaches’ poll.
“Confidence,” Jennifer Brooks said. “That’s all it is, is having confidence when you step in that box. Right now at the end of the season is when you want it and that’s when we’ve got it.”
Warren East is scheduled to face Cumberland County in the semifinals Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
GHS 101 000 0 – 2 8 2
WEHS 000 010 2 – 3 8 0
WP: A. Brooks LP: Byrd
Cumberland County 10, Logan County 0, five innings
Erica Branham tossed a no-hitter and added three hits at the plate as the Lady Panthers rolled to the program’s first region win since 2016.
Branham walked three and struck out eight – throwing 80 pitches, 50 for strikes.
Offensively, Cumberland County (17-12) scored in all five innings – finishing with 10 hits. Aleah Scott added two hits and two RBIs for the Lady Panthers, while Kenzie Willow finished with two hits and Madi Cooksey drove in two.
Logan County finishes its season (10-20).
LCHS 000 00 – 0 0 6
CCHS 212 23 – 10 10 0
WP: Branham LP: Cartas
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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