The winning streak ended at six for the Warren County High School Lady Pioneer softball team, as they lost in heartbreaking fashion in extra innings to their district rival the Cookeville Lady Cavaliers, 9-8, due to eight errors on the night.
The Lady Pioneers mounted a huge comeback after being down 8-1 early in the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
Despite the loss, Emily Mikkola had a solid outing from the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI. Bailey Walker contributed a 3-for-5 night with three singles.
Ashton Whiles suffered the loss in relief of starting pitcher Lindsey Cox. Whiles went two innings, giving up one run, in the loss.
The Lady Pioneers struck first in the bottom of the first with a line-drive single to centerfield by Skyler Youngblood, scoring Walker, making the lead 1-0, after one. That score remained until the third inning when the Lady Cavs scored two runs to grab the lead, 2-1.
The Lady Pioneers didn’t have an answer in the bottom of the inning and the Lady Cavs blew the game wide open in the top of the fourth, scoring six runs, and putting the Lady Pioneers in a position they hadn’t been in all year, 8-1. The Lady Pioneers finally got on the board again in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run, and it was 8-2, after five.
After the Lady Cavs failed to add to their lead in the top of the sixth, the Lady Pioneers kept chipping away, scoring three runs, thanks to a two-run error by the Lady Cavs and a Bailey Martin triple to right field, and the Lady Pioneers were back in the game, with only one inning to go, 8-5.
Down to their final out in the bottom of the seventh, Abby Hutchins hit a 2-RBI double to keep the Lady Pioneer hopes alive. Mikkola came up clutch in the next at bat, with an RBI single, and the Lady Pioneers mounted an improbable comeback, 8-8, after seven.
In the top of the eighth, the Lady Cavs scored a run, and didn’t relinquish the lead, sending the Lady Pioneers to their first loss of the season, 9-8. The Lady Pioneers will be back in action Thursday, when they travel to Tullahoma to take on the Lady Wildcats, and look to shake off their first loss of the young season. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.