A one-hit shutout and two homers was all the Boyle County High School Lady Rebels needed to down Southwestern High School, 4-0, in the championship game of the 12th Region Softball Tournament on Monday at the War Path. The Lady Rebels' win capped off their fourth straight 12th Region crown in five years.
Despite little offense on the night, Southwestern (25-8) concluded a historic season with a 48th District title and a 12th Region runner-up finish. The 2021 Lady Warriors became one of only three teams in the program's history to make it to the region finals with their last trip in 2004. Prior to Monday night's loss in the 12th Region Finals, Southwestern had won 14 straight games dating back to early May.
"This great season is all about the kids," stated an emotional Southwestern High School softball coach Jarrod Sumner. "This core group of players like (Kaitlyn) Gwin, (Olivia) Wilds, and (Marissa) Loveless have been with me for six years. We lost to Garrard County in our tournament in early May. We hashed it out and we haven't lost since, until tonight. I told them to play for each other, and they have."
"If you are gonna get beat, then get beat by the best," Sumner stated. "I am proud of the girls and they showed a lot of heart tonight."
Boyle County sophomore pitcher Kaleigh White left nothing to chance by only allowing one hit and retiring the other 21 batters she faced. White pitched a perfect game through five innings until Southwestern junior Aimee Johnson laced a single to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning. However, White retired the other three batters to strand the Lady Warriors' only base runner of the night.
White, who was named the 12th Region Tournament Most Valuable Player, helped out her own cause in the top of the seventh inning when she crushed a towering homer run off the left field light pole to put the Lady Rebels up 4-0.
In the top of the second inning, Boyle County scored a trio of runs off a Lauren Tipton three-run blast to deep left field to score Stella Johnson - courtesy running for Emily Glasscock - and Ella Coffey. Glasscock got on base with a single and Coffey got on base with a sacrifice bunt error to first base.
Southwestern dodged a bullet in the top of the fifth when the Lady Rebels loaded the bases off a White single, and walks by Glasscock and Tipton.
Southwestern senior Kaitlyn Gwin pitched an excellent game against one of the best softball programs in the state. Gwin struck out four batters and allowed eight hits - but it was the two big hits that made the difference in the game.
Local players named to the 12th Region All-Tournament Team were Kaitlyn Gwin, Jesse Begley and Olivia Wilds from Southwester, and Gabbie Countryman and Chloe Carroll of Pulaski County.
BC 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 9 0
SW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 2
HR - White, Tipton (BC). RBI - White, Tipton 3 (BC).
STEVE CORNELIUS is the CJ Sports Editor and can be reached at sports@somerset-kentucky.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CJSportseditor.
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