Lady Cats Claim District 12 Title in Walk Off Thriller

Edmonson County 16, Butler County 15

Sophomore Jolee Vincent starts the celebration as she scores the winning run in the bottom of the 7th against Butler County in the 2024 District 12 Championship at Grayson County.

Edmonson Voice Sports: Alyssa Doyle, photos:
It was a moment that all ball players dream about. Game is on the line. Championship is on the line. You're down one, runners on first and second in the bottom of the 7th. The count was 2-0 to senior left fielder Kaylee Ann Sanders.

The pitch. Hard liner in center. Was she going to catch it? Some thought she should have, but she misjudged the ball in the glow of the sunset and over her head it went. Runners were sprinting. Seventh grader Emma Price scores from second to tie the game. Second runner makes a play for home...the throw to the plate...catcher can't make the play and sophomore Jolee Vincent steps on the plate for an incredible 16-15 comeback win, and their first district title since 2016.

Senior Kaylee Ann Sanders connects for a game-winning, walk off two-run double in the bottom of the 7th inning against Butler County in District 12 Championship.

Fans checking score updates from the Edmonson Voice didn't know if it was a football game or what, with such a high score. Tight softball games in high competition are usually 3-2, 1-0, etc.. And while it was ugly at times, fans got their money's worth. The trophy presenters don't ask how pretty the game was when they hand over the one that says "District 12 Champions."

The 2024 Edmonson County Lady Cat District 12 Softball Champions.

It was truly a back-and-forth game with plenty of mistakes. Both teams combined for a total of 10 errors (Edmonson 6). There were also hits, and lots of them. Edmonson County tallied 18 of them on the night with six players earning multiple hits and three players with 3 hits each.

The score was tied 2-2 after the first inning. Butler then led 3-2 in the second. Edmonson County bounced back to take the lead in the fourth at 7-5 but then allowed Butler County to score 5 big runs in the 5th to trail the Lady Bears 10-7.

Butler County managed to put up another crazy 5-run sixth inning for a 15-7 lead, but the Lady Cats also went crazy and got all 5 runs back in the bottom of the sixth, trailing 15-12 going into the final at-bat for Edmonson County.

The Lady Bears went quietly in the top of the 7th as pitcher Julie Norris struck out the first two batters, then got a ground out from the third batter.

The drama began in the bottom of the 7th as freshman Addie Childress singled on a 3-2 count. Sophomore Abigail Hogg singled to center and moved Childress to second. Both base runners advanced bases on a passed ball by the catcher and seventh grader Emma Price singled to center. The outfielder couldn't handle the ball and Price went to second as Childress and Hogg scored to narrow the deficit to 15-14 with one on and nobody out.

Freshman Shelby Sowders hit a fly ball to center that was caught for the first out and Price had to stay at second. Jolee Vincent was hit by a pitch on a 2-1 count that would set up the final play of the game. With Price at second and Vincent at first, Kaylee Ann Sanders burned the center fielder on a hard shot that would result in the two base runners coming home for Lady Cat win.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO BELOW FOR A LARGER IMAGE:

Head Coach Alex Jane Massey was overcome with emotion after the game.

"I'm so proud of this group," she said. "I've known that this group was special but I think they just had to finally believe that they were capable of great things, which is what happened tonight. We have the hashtag we use, 'till the job's done,' and that's what I yelled in there in the 7th. The job wasn't done so let's go."

Massey said some of the players had experienced some struggles at times during the season but stepped up and accomplished tremendous things in this tournament.

"Abigail Hogg stepped up and did great things. Addie (Childress) has literally played three games at second base after Kylee (Williams) got hurt (broken wrist), she stepped up and did a great job. Emma Price, a seventh grader who was not afraid, and Shelby (Sowders) stepping up behind the plate. We finally came together and it couldn't have happened at a better time. Grit. We talked about grit all season long and tonight, they showed it. Now, it's time to go to region and see who we draw."

It's only the 4th district title in the fast pitch era of Lady Cat Softball, that includes 2006, 2013, 2016, and last night. Massey was part of the 2013 team as an assistant coach to her father, Kevin Clemmons. That team went all the way to the region finals, losing a heart breaker to Owensboro Catholic.

Every Lady Cat notched at least one hit last night against the Lady Bears.

Emma Price was 3-4 with 3 RBIs, Addie Childress was 3-5 with 2 RBIs, Jolee Vincent was 3-5 with 2 RBIs, a double, and a stolen base. Abigail Hogg was 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Both Shelby Sowders and Mikayla Hogg went 2-5 with Hogg knocking in 4 runs. Kaylee Ann Sanders was 1-3 with the game-winning double and 2 RBIs, Julie Norris was 1-3 with 1 RBI, and Autumn Simmons was 1-4 on the night.

Julie Norris pitched another complete game, going 7 innings. She gave up 5 earned runs on 13 hits while striking out 6 and walking 4. Norris ranked in the state's top 50 in two categories: #43 in wins (14) and #7 in innings pitched (174).

The team is ranked #27 in the state for lowest ERA at 2.53.

District awards were given to five Lady Cats after the game, including Julie Norris and Mikayla Hogg being named to the All-District Team, and Kaylee Ann Sanders, Addie Childress, and Jolee Vincent named to the All-Tournament Team

Edmonson County is now 15-13 on the season and awaits their draw in the Region 3 Tournament, which will be held at Ohio County next week.