South Warren clinches 10th straight region title appearance

Published 11:10 pm Wednesday, May 28, 2025

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South Warren pitcher Layla Ogden (18) pitches to Barren County left fielder Abby Elmore (10) in the Spartans’ 10-0 win over the Trojanettes in the Region 4 semifinals at the WKU Softball Complex on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. South Warren advances to tomorrow’s region title game against Warren East. GRACE MCDOWELL / BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS

The South Warren softball team continued its Region 4 stranglehold with a 10-0 win over Barren County in five innings in the semifinals of the region tournament on Wednesday at the WKU Softball Complex.

South Warren (33-3) pounded out 12 hits and Layla Ogden shined in the circle as the Spartans made it 10 straight appearances in the region title game. South Warren, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 45 in the nation according to MaxPreps, will look for a fifth region title in that 10-year span on Thursday.

“It’s always a long, hard road to get here,” South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds said. “I keep telling the girls we have to realize that everyone wants us. We are always going to get their best. We cannot lose our focus and we have to stay locked in. We are not entitled to anything. I sent them a quote this morning that said, ‘When you wake up, what are you entitled to?’ and it said ‘Nothing.’ That’s exactly it. You have to work for everything you want.”

South Warren’s offense has been a juggernaut all season — with 70 homers as a team and nine straight games scoring at least 10 runs. Wednesday’s output came without the power surge as the Spartans didn’t homer for the first time in the last six games.

The Spartans scored two batters in on a sacrifice fly from Kinleigh Russell. South Warren scored four times in the third — aided by a pair of errors and a wild pitch — to push the lead to 5-0.

Ogden’s RBI double and Parker Willoughby’s RBI single stretched the margin to 7-0 in the fourth. The Spartans capped the scoring with three in the fifth — including a two-run single from Kaylee Wilson.

Seven batters had at least one hit, with eight reaching base. Hadley Borders led the way with three hits and two runs scored.

“It’s awesome,” Hadley Borders said. “I’m hitting in the five hole and in some teams’ lineups after the five hole it kind of goes downhill, but our entire lineup I have full confidence in. Every single player in our lineup, one through nine, I have confidence that they will put the ball in play and score us runs.

“ … I love this team. It’s my second time going to the region championship with this team. It’s all heart. We are all best friends and we love it.”

Ogden, Willoughby and McLaine Hudson added two hits each.

Ogden earned the win to improve to 12-1 on the season. The right-hander allowed three hits and three walks with nine strikeouts.

“I love her emotion out there on the mound,” Reynolds said. “She gets into it. She feels it. I thought she did a great job keeping them in check.”

Abby Elmore had a double, while Lily Elmore and Briley Aidala added singles for Barren County (21-7).

South Warren advances to face Warren East at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the WKU Softball Complex. It will be the fifth meeting between the two schools in the region final in the last nine tournaments — the first since 2021. The Lady Raiders have won the previous three region title meetings.

“I told them out there in our huddle that East is playing the best softball that they have played all year right now,” Reynolds said. “They are not going to bow down for us. We are going to have to come out and give our absolute best. We have to be ready for anything.”

BCHS 000 00 — 0 3 5

SWHS 104 23 — 10 12 0

WP: Ogden LP: Bogue