Darren Doyle, story and photos
Any softball or baseball fan at some point has played a similar scenario in their mind: "Tie ballgame, bases loaded, two outs..." Although it wasn't the bottom of the ninth as seen in the movies, it was the bottom of the sixth, and for senior Jhonna Basil and the Lady Cats, this at-bat would be the deciding factor in the game.

The Lady Cats had just gone ahead 3-2 after Barren County walked Olivia Allen with the bases loaded after a grueling 10 pitch at-bat. 

Basil swung at the first pitch she saw; a fastball right down the middle of the zone that sailed into the outfield for a three-run, base clearing triple that extended the lead to 6-2.

"I think the pressure was taken off me after the run was walked in to give us the lead," Basil said, "but I knew that we needed to extend the lead because Barren is a great team and could easily come back with us being up only one run."  

One-run leads going into the final inning can easily be erased, but four-run leads can definitely give a team some breathing room. "I knew I had to deliver and I wanted to for the rest of my team," Basil added.

​The Lady Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead as they were able to put up a couple of runs in the bottom of the second, and the score remained the same until Barren County tied things up in the top of the sixth at 2-all. The momentum had shifted in Barren's favor until the Lady Cats made a huge recovery.

With runners at second and third with two outs, Barren County bunted in the top of the sixth. Pitcher Rachael Duncan scooped up the ball and faked a throw to first, which fooled the runner at third into taking several huge steps toward home. She slammed on the brakes, but got caught in a rundown with Duncan and third baseman Basil and was tagged out, ending their rally.

"I told the girls that if you can't get excited over bases-loaded, two-out, pressure situation-softball, you don't need to be here," said head coach Jeremy Garmon. "That's what it's all about, that's what you practice for, and that's what you play for."

Garmon credited Olivia Allen for excellent plate discipline in an extremely intense situation. "Olivia's got great hands and she was able to get that walk there in the sixth that was huge for us," he said.

Rachael Duncan got the win, going the full seven innings, only allowing one earned run, while giving up four walks, and notching two strikeouts.

"I can never say enough about Rachael," Garmon said. "She probably wouldn't want me saying this, but she threw up several times today. She didn't know if she'd even be able to play tonight, but she toughed it out and was certainly ready."

Edmonson Voice Sports
The ECHS Archery Team continued to impress as they finished well in the NASP State Tournament in Louisville this Monday. According to head coach Chris Shelton, the team shot their best match yet, finishing somewhere in the middle of 62 total teams, and hopefully well enough for an invitation to the national tournament in May.

Some may see "middle of the pack" as a little non-eventful, but not if you know the background of this team. Shelton began with this team only a couple years ago, and the team has turned heads ever since the first meet.

"It's unheard of," he said. "There are some surrounding county programs that have been together longer that haven't advanced as far as we have. Our team really shouldn't be as far along as they've gotten."

The top Edmonson County shooter for the boys was junior Nate Wilson with a score of 278, while the top girls' shooter was freshman Rebecca Childress with a score of 271.

"This year, they've continued to grow," said Shelton. It's been amazing, and there's even interest from Campbellsville University's archery coach with some potential scholarship opportunities. That's just unheard of for a second-year program."

Shelton said they won't find out if they've made it to the national competition until mid April, but until then, they're going to continue working hard.

"We're going to keep practicing and improving," he said. "We're going to try to host our own tournament at home on April 30th. We've got great kids and we're just going to keep on having fun."

Edmonson Voice Sports
​After starting the season with two double headers against highly tauted Ohio County ( a true freshmen team) the EC Freshman Wildcats (composed entirely of 7th and 8th graders) got their first two wins of the season on Tuesday night vs the Butler County Bears.  The games against Ohio County resulted in losses of 13-0 and 4-1 at Wildcat Field, and 11-0 and 8-5 at Ohio County.

In game one vs. Butler County on Tuesday night at Wildcat field, the Wildcats scored first in the bottom of the second inning when EC pitcher Nick Clemmons doubled over the center fielder’s head.  After stealing third and a passed ball, Clemmons scored to make it 1-0 in favor of the Wildcats.  In the top of the 4th, the Bears posted two runs on two singles and two walks; however, in the bottom of the 4th, EC tied things up when Gavin Rose led off the inning with a double.  Sacrifices by Tucker Dockery and Dylan Lindsey drove Rose to the plate.

Butler County went three up--three down in the top of the 5th. In the bottom of the same inning, Clay Walden reached first base on a single, stole second base, took third on a passed ball, and then lead-off hitter Gabe Lindsey drove him in with a single to end the game.  Nick Clemmons went the distance on the mound to secure the victory.  He struck out six Bear hitters in the Wildcat win.
​
In the second game, the Bears scored 2 in the top of the first with a hit and a couple of walks against Wildcat pitcher Gabe Lindsey.  From there, Lindsey took command of the Bear hitters and wouldn't give up any more runs for the remainder of the night.   In the bottom of the first, Gabe Lindsey sought revenge by leading off the inning with his 4th hit of the night (including game one totals). The Butler Co. pitcher then walked 3 in a row to walk in the first run. Gavin Rose then sacrificed to gain the second Wildcat run of the inning. 

The score remained 2-2 until the bottom of the third when Jacob Vincent hit a single and Nick Clemmons followed that up with a walk.  Gavin Rose again sacrificed to score Vincent and Clemmons stole home for the second run of the inning. 

The Wildcats added three more runs in the bottom of the 4th when Ethan Goad, Gabe Lindsey, and Luke Lindsey went back-to-back-to-back singles.  After three consecutive walks by Bears pitching, the score was 7-2 in favor of the Wildcats.  Lindsey shut down the Bears in the top of the fifth to seal the victory while notching three strikeouts in the win.

Edmonson Voice Sports
The Edmonson County Lady Cat Softball Team improved to 3-1 on the season while earning their first district win of the year as they defeated Trinity at Whitesville on Monday night.

Senior Rachael Duncan earned the win on the mound as she gave up two earned runs, eight hits and one walk while notching five strikeouts.

Sophomore Caitlin Simon had an impressive night, reaching base in all four plate appearances, going 2-3 with two singles, earning a walk, and was hit by a pitch. She also had an RBI in addition to three stolen bases. 

The Lady Cats stretched their lead to 4-0 in the top of the 5th as Trinity finally got on the board with a couple of runs in the bottom of the inning. The Lady Raiders never got any closer as Duncan closed things out, going the distance for the win.

Also helping the offense was Oliva Allen and Rebecca Massey, each going 2-4 with an RBI a piece. Kayla Whittington was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI, and both Carsan Logsdon and Jhonna Basil went 1-3 each.

Edmonson County hosts Allen County tonight at home. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30pm.

Edmonson Voice Sports
The Edmonson County Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season with a dominating 11-1 win over Fort Campbell at home on Saturday. 

Sophomore Logan Minton allowed only one hit over 4 innings, earning 4 strikeouts with no walks.

"Logan was very solid on the mound," said Coach Bo West. "He got ahead in the count of every batter he faced, which led to only 36 pitches in 4 innings of work."

Also impressing was sophomore Tucker Cole as he went 3-3 at the plate, notching two doubles and triple. Cole finished with 3 RBIs. "He had one of those days where a baseball looks like a beach ball, and he didn't miss," said West. "If the wind wouldn't have been blowing in, he could've very well had three homeruns. Any other day, those would've been out of the park instead of off the wall."

A total of 8 Wildcats earned base hits on the day as Hunter Garrett also had a good day, going 2-3 with a walk and 1 RBI. Holden Skaggs was 1-2 with a stolen base, Walker Hazel was 1-3 with an RBI and a stolen base, Logan Lindsey was 1-3 with 2 stolen bases, Dylan Waldrop 1-4 with 2 RBI's, Preston Dunn was 1-2 with an RBI, and Matthew Jaggers went 1-3 with 2 RBI's.

The Wildcats have used their speed to rack up several stolen bases each game, and ECHS batters are getting the job done with runners in scoring position.

"We have a lot of overall team speed and we're trying to utilize that by disrupting the base paths, by keeping the other team uncomfortable," West said. "Our guys are doing a great job of playing team baseball right now. Our speed guys are doing their job of getting on base and sacrificing themselves over to get in scoring position, and our power guys are doing their jobs driving them in. They're all doing a great job executing right now and understanding their roles on offense, and it's been fun to watch."

The Wildcats will travel to Hardinsburg as they take on Breckinridge County on Tuesday, March 22nd at 6pm. They are currently ranked number one in the district and ranked second in the third region.

Darren Doyle, story and photos
Timely hits and aggressive base running were key factors in the Wildcat win as Edmonson County defeated the Metcalfe County Hornets 13-8 Friday night at home.

Dylan Waldrop had another solid pitching performance, notching the win in 5 and 2/3 innings while giving up just 5 hits and earning 5 strikeouts. Waldrop also helped himself at the plate, too, belting 3 RBI's in a 1-4 night. 

Walker Hazel gave up 2 hits and earned a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning, while Matthew Jaggers earned the save, going 2/3 of an inning to finish the game.

"We have 10 or 12 pitchers that we can use, and we'll use these guys all year long because of pitch count rules," said coach Bo West. "Waldrop did great again, he gave us what he could, then we brought in the other two guys. We'll be right back at it again tomorrow, too." 

The dugout was loud all night long as there was no shortage of support for each other. "The team's coming together already, and there's chemistry right now," West said. "It's fun as a coach when you see players lead themselves. You know, we don't have to come to the park and yell to get these guys up, they're doing it themselves."

All the starters reached base during the contest and 8 out of 10 notched hits. Walker Hazel went 3-4 with 2 RBI's, Caleb Skaggs was 1-3 with 1 RBI and 3 stolen bases. Shawn Winchester also went 3-4 with 2 RBI's and 3 stolen bases. Logan Lindsey was 1-1 with 2 walks and a stolen base, Dylan Waldrop went 1-4 with 3 RBI's, Hunter Garrett was 1-2 with 2 walks and 1 RBI, Cole Logsdon was 1-4 with an RBI, and Logan Minton was 1-1 with 2 walks and a stolen base.

The Wildcats will take on Fort Campbell at home on Saturday at noon. Any coach is happy to start the season 3-0, and Coach West is no different.

"Wins are good, and it's really fun to watch these guys. They're growing and working hard for each other," West said.

Darren Doyle
The Edmonson County Wildcat varsity baseball team had no trouble taking care of business against Thomas Nelson High School last night as they dominated the Generals 11-0 behind Dylan Waldrop's 5 inning complete game shutout in their first game of the season in Bardstown.

Waldrop allowed only one hit while notching 7 strikeouts. Coach Bo West said Waldrop had a bit of a shaky start, giving up 4 walks in the first two innings, but settled in and finished with a solid performance. "Dylan pitched great," West said. 

Waldrop impressed offensively as well, going 2-4 with 3 RBI's, but several other Wildcats also had solid numbers.

"Offensively, I was very pleased with how we executed," said West. "We had quality at-bats which led to a high on-base percentage for the team. We sacrificed runners over in key situations to get players in scoring position and we did a good job driving those runs in."

Caleb Skaggs was 1-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases, Shawn Winchester went 2-2 with 2 RBI's and a stolen base, Hunter Garrett was 1-2 with one walk, a stolen base, and an RBI, Cole Logsdon went 1-2 with a walk and two RBI's, Matthew Jaggers was 1-2 with a stolen base, Walker Hazel was 1-3 with 2 RBI's, Logan Lindsey was 0-2 with a walk and a stolen base, and Tucker Cole went 0-1 with two walks and a stolen base.

"We put a lot of pressure on the other team with our speed, stealing 6 bases," West added. Overall, I'm very pleased with the team and their effort in our first game of the season."

Tonight's game has been cancelled due to wet field conditions. (Tuesday, March 15)

The Wildcats will travel to Todd County on Thursday for a makeup game, then will take on Metcalfe County Friday for the first home game of the season.

Darren Doyle, story
Laney Meredith, photos
The Lady Cats 2015-16 basketball season came to an end last night at the Owensboro SportsCenter as they fell 50-43 to the McLean County Lady Cougars in the first round of the Region 3 Tournament.

Unkind rims and tough breaks hindered the Lady Cats throughout the night, as the girls did most everything else right. The Lady Cats were 0-12 from three-point range, and only shot 38% from the field as a whole.

Coach Kevin Jackson said it was the first game all season in which the Lady Cats failed to hit at least one three. "I thought they were all good looks," he said. "The rims are tight and you're not going to get any bounces. You have to hit the shots straight on, and that's what McLean County did."

Edmonson County fell behind early and trailed 26-18 at the half. "Coach Jackson told us at halftime we needed to have the best 3rd quarter we've ever had," said senior Rachael Duncan. "Our 3rd quarter has been our nemesis all season."

The girls must have listened, because a big third quarter from the Lady Cats allowed them to gain 34-31 lead on a 16-5 run with about a minute and a half left in the quarter, but the Lady Cougars didn't go away and a huge three by McLean at the buzzer tied things up at 36 all.

Jackson said even though shots weren't falling, his team found other ways to be effective.

"That was all defensive stops, rebounding, effort, and guts. That's what it takes if you're going to win tournament games, and that's what I was proud of," he said.

Senior Madelyne Taylor led the team with a career-high 19 points and 8 rebounds in an impressive performance as her last game as a Lady Cat. "She tweaked her knee a little bit, but you couldn't see that as a fan in the stands," Jackson added. "The effort she played with tonight was great, and she left it all out there on the court tonight."

Taylor obviously would have rather had the win over individual numbers, but a boost in confidence over the last few games led to bigger performances, as seen last night.

"Towards the end of the year I realized that this was my last go around, so I needed to give it all I had and play with heart." Over the last three games, she averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, cold shooting kept them from making any big runs, and red hot shooting from McLean County allowed the Lady Cougars to regain control in the fourth. The Lady Cougars shot 57% from behind the arc.

The Lady Cats were only able to score one point during the last 2:30 of the game as they fell to McLean County.

Caitlin Simon, the other Lady Cat in double figures, finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds. She said last night's loss was very hard. "I just didn't want this season with this team to end," she said. "We've all grown so much."

Peyton Martin said she considered it a great opportunity to play with this group of girls. "I don't think I have ever enjoyed playing basketball with any other team as much as I did this one," she said.

Jackson gave credit to his four seniors for a successful season. "We came in with a new coaching staff and they never once complained or asked questions about that. They were leaders, even though they weren't very vocal. They led by example, and they did it in practice. You have to have leadership in practice, and they showed that everyday. I wish we had them for another year, just so we could keep working with them."

Senior Jhonna Basil said this year has been her favorite, largely due to the care shown by the coaching staff. "They care so much about us and it shows," she said. "It also shows when we play because we all just want to do good for Coach Jackson. He fought for us and we fought for him." 

Senior Tori Browning also said much of the same, and each senior gave credit to each other and the underclassmen. "I can't really put into words what these girls and this team mean to me," she said. "It's more than just basketball, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime and memories I'll keep forever."

Rachael Duncan said that although the ultimate goal was to win a district title and make a deep run in the regional tournament, she was still proud of her team and coaches. "I wouldn't trade our coaches or anyone on this team for anything in the world," she said. 

Also helping the effort was Peyton Martin with 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals, Jhonna Basil had 2 points, Duncan had 5 rebounds, Collins 3 rebounds, Browning 1 rebound.

The Lady Cats finish the season with an overall record of 17-13, 8-8 in region play, and 5-3 in the district. From all of us here at EdmonsonVoice.com and WildcatsLive, it's been an honor to cover this team this season. Thanks Lady Cats, for a great year. We know you'll have success in the future.

​ Senior Manager Kayla Meredith said it best last night when she, as well as several other team members said, "Once a Lady Cat, always a Lady Cat."