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March 24, 2012
Pulaski home opener spoiled by Clinton County, 6-5
By TIM HYDEN, CJ Correspondent
Commonwealth Journal

Somerset —

The Pulaski County Lady Maroons Softball team opened their 2012 home schedule Thursday night against the visiting Lady Bulldogs from Clinton County, and it turned into a nail-biter.
Unfortunately, it was one that head coach Scott Taylor and his troops would just as soon forget. It took extra innings to settle it, but Clinton County left with a 6-5 win that was marred by late cont-roversy.
After losing seven starters from their lineup last season, this year’s version of the Lady Maroons are considerably more inexperienced that previous teams in the Taylor era. And after splitting their first two games on the road, the PC girls returned home to a faithful following that was still unsure what to expect from their team.
Meanwhile, Clinton came to town undefeated. Coach Darrell Thompson’s girls were 2-0, and had outscored their previous opponents 27-1.
One place where Pulaski has plenty of experience is in senior pitcher Brittany McKee, who has toed the mound for the Lady Maroons since she was a middle school student. She can also swing a mean bat. After setting the Lady Bulldogs down in order in the first, McKee got the scoring started in the bottom of the inning with a line double over the center-fielder’s head, driving home the Lady Maroons’ other senior—Kendra Hyden. Pinch-runner Taylor Whitaker then came home on a throwing error to give PC an early 2-0 lead.
Clinton County answered back in the second. After a one-out walk Kasey Conner doubled deep to left field, followed by an RBI single from Makayla McFall. Conner scored on an RBI ground out by Mariah Thompson to tie the game 2-2.
After a day of off-and-on showers, when the rain returned in the bottom of the inning, Clinton’s pitcher, Taylor Flowers, struggled with her control. After being hit by a pitch, 7th-grader Tarayn Davis stole second and scored on a pair of wild pitches to regain the lead. After Kelsea Lorman reached on an error, the skies opened up and play was halted for 45 minutes while the shower passed and the Pulaski coaching staff and crew got the field ready to play again. When play resumed, Flowers found the dry ball more to her liking, and she squelched the rest of the rally to keep the PC lead at 3-2.
In the third the Lady Bulldogs were back to mounting an other rally. Singles by Kristina Withers and Michelle Wray gave Head Coach Darrell Thompson’s team runners on the corners with just one out. But when Wray took off for second, PC shortstop Kendra Hyden looked the runner back at third while she waited on the throw at second, then quickly tagged out Wray for the second out. Then McKee mowed down the Clinton cleanup hitter Rachel Stearns for the third out. McKee would strike out 10 batters in the game, many of them coming in crucial situations with a full count.
The Lady Maroons added to their lead in the bottom of the inning when Sarah Howard laced a triple to the opposite field and scored on a single by Makayla Bryant. Clinton cut the lead in half with an RBI single by Leah Claborn in the fifth, and PC got the run back in the bottom of the inning when McKee doubled for the second time and pinch-runner Whitaker scored on a throwing error after Howard had singled her to third.
With a 5-3 lead and a runner on second with one out in the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Maroons, who had seemed to be in control and playing well, began to squander chances to put the game away. The next hitter, McKala Blevins laid down a sacrifice bunt and was thrown out at first. But when Sarah Howard tried to score on the play she was gunned down after being blocked off the plate.
Then in the top of the seventh, after the first two hitters reached, McKee seemed on the verge of wriggling out of the jam and securing the home opening win for the Lady Maroons. But with two outs, Michelle Wray sent a pop up into no-man’s land in short right field, landing just out of the reach of Howard, and tying the score at 5-5. And after PC failed to score in the bottom of the inning, despite Hyden and McKee reaching base with just one out, it was on to extra innings and the International Rule.
Both teams started with a runner at second, and Clinton’s scored after Kasey Conner’s second double of the game made it 6-5. But PC looked poised to wipe that lead away in short order during their turn at the plate. With Emily Evans starting the inning on second base, Makayla Bryant reached on an infield single, that led to a rundown of Evans between third and home before she scampered safely back to third. Taylor Brock then reached on an error that loaded the bases with no outs.
Then controversy reared its ugly head, and the Lady Maroons were the ones who got stung. Tarayn Davis hit a pop up to second base which the fielder tried to catch but dropped. Not having heard a call from the umpire, Taylor sent the runner home. The throw was in time to cut down the runner on a bang bang play. Then as play was about to resume, Clinton came out to talk to the umpire, who had as yet made no indication of it being anything other than bases loaded with one out. The umpire decided that he had indeed signaled for an infield fly on the previous play, which automatically made the batter out, as well as the runner at home, who was not now forced to run. Taylor vigorously, argued that no call was made and that he had to send the runner under the circumstances or the fielding team could simply throw to every base and end the game on a force out triple play. The exchange led to Taylor’s ejection from the game. The next hitter for Pulaski then flied out to end the game.
So the home opener ended as one that got away from the Lady Maroons—or was taken away—depending on how you look at it. But the Lady Maroons still looked like a team that will hold it’s own this season, despite its inexperience. McKee showed good heart and struck out ten on the mound, the defense committed only one error, the foursome of Hyden, McKee, Howard, and Bryant reached base 11 times in 16 at bats, and they stole six bases as a team. This was against a good Lady Bulldog team who is now 3-0 on the season.
Taylor’s squad will play their next two games at home—a Friday game against West Jessamine, then next Monday against Lincoln County..


Clinton 020 010 21 = 6 9 4
Pulaski 211 010 00 = 5 10 1

Clinton Co.—
2B—Conner 2
RBI—Wray 2, McFall, Thompson, Claborn, Conner
SB—McFall, Conner
Flowers 8 IP, 5ER, 5R, 9H, 2K, 4BB, 1HBP

Pulaski Co.—
2B—McKee 2
3B—Howard
RBI—McKee, Bryant
SB—Bryant 2, Evans, Davis, Lorman, Hyden

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