The high school diamonds were busy last weekend with Union County hosting Franklin County softball and baseball teams.

The Lady Patriots and Lady Wildcats split – UC won the first game, 12-1, and FC won the second, 5-2.

It was similar on Bill Webb Baseball Field with the Wildcats winning the first game, 22-5, and the Patriots taking the second game, 11-6.
 
Softball 
Union County set the pace early in the first game with 2 runs in the second inning but settled for a 2-2 tie when the Wildcats matched it in the top of the third.

UC bats warmed up in the fourth inning with four runs scored on three hits and a 6-2 to take into the fifth inning. 

With one out, Harly Pilgrim and Faith Richardson singles put two runners on base and right fielder Brooke Fields at the plate. Without hesitation, Fields caught the infielders off guard with a bunt on the first pitch. Both runners scored and Fields was safe on first base.

Kyleigh Payne’s right field single moved Fields to second and Ally Gray drew a walk to fill the bases. Sophomore Annalea Adams swung on the second pitch and watched it disappear over the centerfield fence – a grand slam home run in the fifth inning to win, 12-1.

“We played well in the first game,” UC coach Scott Gray said. “But defense was not there. Had 14 strikeouts. You can’t do that and expect to win, especially against good teams.”

Franklin County came back to win the second game, 5-2, in the eighth inning. 

The Lady Wildcats put two runs on the scoreboard in the second inning. The Lady Pats waited until the fourth inning to tie it up at 2-2. Lead-off batter, Adams, hit her second home run of the day to set off another celebration at home plate.

The bats were silent through three innings before Franklin County bats warmed up with three runs on an error, fielder’s choice and a pair of doubles (Kassidy Schell and Kiersten Schell), to celebrate a 5-2 victory.

“Chloe (Greene) had good pitches in the second game,” Gray said. “They (FC) just hit them, drove them out there.”

Softball Game 1
Franklin County        001  00 -   2
Union County           020  46 - 12
2B: UCo (Mathews). FC 1 (Lake).
HR: UC 1 (Adams).  
Batteries: UCo-Mathews and Wooley. FC-Bischoff and Kaiser.

Softball Game 2
Franklin County    020  000  03 - 5
Union County       000  200  00 - 2
2B: FC 4 (Stang 2, Ki Schell, Ka Schell).
HR: UC 1 (Adams).
Batteries: UC-Greene and Gray. FC-Ferman, Kaiser.

Baseball
Union County and Franklin County were tied after the third inning in the first game of the double-header last weekend but the Wildcats outscored the Patriots, 19-2, over the next three innings to win, 22-5.

Franklin County senior pitcher, JD Stokes, gave up five runs on eight hits, and struck out three in four innings.

The Wildcats scored 22 runs on 19 hits, including a home run from junior Brant Ertel in the fifth inning.

Devyn Shepherd (3-for-3) and Josh Klein (2-for-2) led the Patriots at the plate.

The Patriots came back in the second game to better FC, 11-6, with pitcher Kyle Sams getting the win. The sophomore hurler have up six runs on seven hits in four innings and struck out four. Sophomore classmate Mason Stewart finished on the mound. 

UC finished with 11 runs on 12 hits with Eric Burdine’s 4-for-4 leading the Patriots.  

  UC’s next opponents
UC baseball is at Lawrenceburg on Tuesday, April 26 and hosts Hagerstown Thursday, April 28.

Baseball Game 1
Franklin County         035  59 - 22
Union County            030  20 -   5
2B: UCo 3 (Ridenour, Wooley, Klein). FC 7 (Watters 2, Moizuk, Prows, Daugherty, Rodriguez, Ertel).
HR: FC 1 (Ertel).
Batteries: UCo-Wooley, Richardson, Burdine. FC - Stokes, Burton.

Baseball Game 2
Franklin County     000  330  0 - 6
Union County       420  302  x - 11
2B: UC 3 (Sams, Woeste, Burdine). 
Batteries: UCo-Sams, Stewart, Klein, Wooley and Woeste. FC Moizuk, Watters Short.