Coach David Upton knows exactly what to call his Warren County High School girls softball team right now: a work in progress.
The Lady Pioneers are still searching to find a groove after finishing 1-3 in the Gordonsville tournament over the weekend, moving the team to 2-6 overall.
Coach Upton has had a different lineup in almost all eight games, started three different pitchers and rearranged his defense several times in search for the right fit. After an up-and-down weekend, the search is ongoing.
“I’m trying to find the right click for our squad. Players are moving around. Right now, it’s a game-time decision on where they’ll be most nights,” said Upton. “The girls are working hard. The defense played better this weekend and when we’ve hit the ball, we’ve been successful.”
In the Lady Pioneers’ lone win this weekend, freshman Skyler Youngblood had a team-high three hits and Lindsey Cox pitched five strong innings to help Warren County defeat Dupont, Ky., 3-2 in a five-inning, pool-play game.
The Lady Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when lead-off batter Bailey Walker singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Dupont tied the game in the second, but Youngblood came back with an RBI single in the third to put the Lady Pioneers ahead 2-1.
Youngblood helped make it 3-1 in the fifth when she doubled to start the inning. Coach Upton inserted Emma Holmes to run for Youngblood and she would score on a two-out double by Cox.
Dupont closed the gap to 3-2 by connecting on three straight singles in the bottom of the fifth, but Cox shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
The win over one of the top programs in Kentucky would be the lone highlight of the weekend though.
Warren County started play in the Gordonsville tournament with a 10-0 loss to Bearden. The powerhouse team from Knoxville got started early with a grand slam off Lady Pioneer starter Sarah Knowles and would add a two-run home run in the fifth to win by run rule.
In the first game, Youngblood led with two hits while Neva Tackett added a first-inning single.
The Lady Pioneers returned to action Saturday morning hoping to build off Friday’s big victory, but instead the team fell 9-2 to Gordonsville in its final game of pool play before being bounced in the single-elimination tournament by Livingston Academy 5-0.
Gordonsville took a 6-0 lead in the second inning on a three-run triple, then added to its advantage with three straight two-out RBI singles in the third inning off Cox. Warren County came back with two runs in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to dent the big deficit.
Warren County was seeded to face Livingston Academy in the first round of the tournament and the Lady Wildcats used a three-run first inning to pull away and eliminate the Lady Pioneers.
Cox, who pitched extensively due to the absence of senior Kailyn Cantrell, gave up three runs in the first before settling down to hold Livingston Academy scoreless the next three innings.
Warren County couldn’t capitalize though as the Lady Pioneers went three innings without a hit before Tackett snapped the no-hitter in the fourth inning. Senior Chelsey Chandler added a single in the fifth, but the Lady Pioneers weren’t able to get on the scoreboard against Livingston Academy.
The Lady Wildcats strung together three straight hits to start the bottom of the fifth inning and score two runs before time expired and ended the game.
Warren County was supposed to get back on the field Monday in Crossville, but its District 6-AAA game against Cumberland County was postponed due to a scheduling conflict. It will now be played Monday, March 31 at 7 p.m.
The Lady Pioneers will be taking part in the Warren County Invitational tournament this weekend that will be held at Cane Creek complex in Cookeville. More information on game times can be found in Friday’s Southern Standard.