WCHS softball team loses two in a row
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Warren County got back in to District 7-AAA play at home Monday night against Cookeville. Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Pioneers battled back to tie the game, only to fall in the eighth by a score of 5-3.
“We lost a heartbreaker,” said coach David Upton.
“Tonight was another one we let slip away. Right now this team is going through growing pains and they have to learn how to win the close ones. I’m very proud of the way this team battled back in the bottom of the seventh. The one thing about this team is they keep fighting and means a lot. But we still have four players who have to grow up and step up and get the job done when the game is on the line.”
Cookeville started things off in the first inning with a one-out hit by Val Owen, but pitcher Erica Warren with her defense behind her shut down the Lady Cavaliers over the next three innings.
Candace Stubblefield and Penny Wanamaker singled up the middle in the bottom of the second but were left stranded for Warren County.
The Lady Pioneers scored in the bottom of the third when Emily Smith walked and a MaCall Cooper hit put Smith in position to score off of a throwing error to give Warren County the early lead.
Cookeville tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. A leadoff hit and error by the Lady Pioneers put runners on second and third. A fielder’s choice tied the game, as the next batter grounded to third for the final out.
Wanamaker singled to open the bottom of the fourth, but was caught stealing as the next two batters went down swinging for Warren County.
In the top of the sixth, errors proved to be fatal for the Lady Pioneers. Tara Polk laced a single to center field for the Lady Cavaliers. The next batter grounded out for the first out of the inning. A walk and error on the Lady Pioneer shortstop loaded the bases when a solid base hit to left scored two runs.
Warren struck out the next batter and a ground ball ended the inning, but not before the damage was done.
Cooper got things started with an infield hit for Warren County in the bottom of the inning. Cassie McGinness doubled, but Cooper was thrown out rounding third. Lady Cavalier pitcher Erin Currier got the next two outs to end the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Warren helped her cause by drawing a walk, and back-to-back hits by Smith and Mullican loaded the bases. Cooper slipped a single over second base to score two runs and tie the game at 3-3.
Warren County had a runner on third and a chance to put the game away as McGinness came to the plate, but the runner was caught off base and thrown out for the final out of the inning.
Two hits and an error on the throw to third sent Cookeville’s Kayla Allen around the bases as the Lady Cavaliers scored two runs to regain the lead. Warren County went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth as the Lady Pioneers’ valiant effort in the seventh proved to be for naught.
Cookeville picked up nine hits and stranded nine runners. Currier picked up 12 K’s on the night and walked two. The Lady Pioneers collected 10 hits, stranded seven runners and committed five costly errors.
• Saturday night Warren County out-hit Tullahoma 6-5, but the Lady Pioneers stranded five runners as the Lady Wildcats slipped past Warren County 3-0.
The Lady Pioneers collected hits from Mullican, Hayes, Casi Rogers, Wanamaker and McGinness, but Warren County never picked up the back-to-back hits when needed.
Tullahoma scored one run in the top of the first off of a walk and single and two runs in the top of the sixth off of three hits. Lady Pioneer pitcher Warren struck out four and walked one.
Warren County was scheduled to take on Oakland on Tuesday and be back at home on Thursday against Riverdale in District 7-AAA action.