South Warren’s Madilyn Daugherty expected big things from her team this season.

Perfection was not one of them.

And yet that’s just what the Spartans have been this year, running their record to a spotless 24-0 on Thursday after a tense 2-1 victory over visiting Christian County in a battle of state-ranked programs.

“It’s awesome,” Daugherty said. “I figured we’d do really good this season, but I don’t think anyone expected to come out and go undefeated. It’s just kind of the way we’ve played and put it together, it’s been good.”

Ranked No. 7 in the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association poll, South Warren was eager for a test from No. 10 Christian County (25-5). The Spartans got their wish, as the Lady Colonels pushed them nearly to the brink by threatening with the tying run just 90 feet from home plate in the top of the seventh inning.

The Lady Colonels opened the inning with a leadoff double by Hope Jones off Spartans starter Shelby Nunn. Jones moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, giving Christian County’s Macy Lancaster a prime opportunity to knot the score.

That’s where Daugherty factored in.

Daugherty had an unusually eventful night on Thursday. The Spartans’ junior first baseman doesn’t often use her glove for more than catching throws from her teammates, but she got a workout with three pop-ups on Thursday.

Lancaster sent the last her way, a dangerous drifting ball that sent Daugherty backpedaling into the outfield, then lunging to the first-base line to grab the ball. She bobbled it, but closed her glove on the loose ball to make the run-saving catch.

“I was thinking, ‘I have got to catch this ball,’” Daugherty said. “I was so scared because I knew if I didn’t catch it, there was the possibility that they could score and tie the game.

“… I took a weird angle to it. I thought it was farther back and it wasn’t, but I got to it.”

Nunn took it from there, striking out Halle Hendricks on three pitches to close out a complete-game victory. It was just the second complete game of the season for Nunn, a Western Kentucky signee who has pitched most of the season in tandem with fellow senior Karson Williams.

With the postseason fast approaching, South Warren coach Chris Riggs wanted to get Nunn some extra work while also adding flexibility to his lineup.

“She’s thrown half the games and those sorts of things,” Riggs said. “I wanted to try for her to get a full game in before we get to the postseason. She needs to kind of stretch it out, too. Karson’s still going to get plenty of time and we’re probably going to go back to switching them up the next couple of games, but I wanted to try to get both of them in the lineup.

“It just worked out that Shelby was throwing well today and we just went with it.”

Nunn gave the Spartans’ offense a quick jolt in the first inning with a two-run homer to left field to stake herself an early lead. Nunn held it, too, with solid pitching backed by a few strong defensive plays.

In the third, Hendricks smoked a leadoff single toward the gap in right center, but Spartans center fielder Bailee Collins cut the ball off and whipped a throw to second to nab Hendricks for the out as she tried for a double.

Christian County finally broke through in the top of the sixth with a leadoff homer by Tyler Shemwell to cut the deficit in half, and threatened to do more damage when Taylor Shemwell followed with a two-out single.

South Warren catcher Lauren Martin nixed that with a bullet throw to second to nab pinch runner Madison Winkler trying to steal.

“We are really good defensively and people underestimate that because we’ve got some pitching and some offense as well,” Riggs said. “But you have to play defense every night if you want to win.”

Nunn finished with nine strikeouts while allowing seven hits and a walk.

“These are the type games that you live for,” Nunn said. “You want the tense situations and you want the nitty-gritty. That’s what separates the better teams from the average teams.”

Collins paced the Spartans with two hits. South Warren only had five hits in all, but produced enough offense to add another victory to their lopsided ledger.

“Every win, it feels good,” Nunn said. “That feeling just keeps us motivated and keeps us going.”

South Warren is back in action Friday against Louisville Butler in the Best of the West tournament at Buchanon Park. Game time is 6 p.m.

CCHS – 000 001 0 – 1

SWHS – 200 000 x – 2

WP: Nunn. LP: O’Daniel.