District softball finals: Scott County’s reign survives; no-hitter propels Lafayette

Bryan Station was on the brink of doing something that no team in the 42nd District softball tournament’s history had ever done: beat Scott County.

The Cardinals (17-8) might not be as intimidating as they were in the 2010s, when they won three state titles over a five-year stretch and run-ruled most of the local competition, but dynastic teams have a way of making magic happen. The rabbit came out of the hat in the bottom of the seventh inning on Thursday night.

Her team trailing 2-1 with one out, Taylor Reid singled home the tying run, which scored from second base after Ada Little got there via her own single and an outfield error. Little, the Cardinals’ ace, held the Defenders at bay in the top of the extra period and Lauren Jones capped the rally with a solo shot to center field.

“In this big a game, you can’t make errors,” Defenders Coach Hector Urbaneja said. “Little errors are gonna cost you a lot. … I’m proud of them. We had it. We were two outs away from it.”

Alas, the final score after eight: Scott County 3, Bryan Station 2. While they’ve dropped games in the regular season — including 7-4 to the Defenders just two weeks ago — the Cardinals are undefeated in the 42nd District Tournament since joining the 11th Region in 2006. First-year skipper Mike Wagoner became the sixth head coach to contribute to a reign encompassing 17 district titles and a 26-0 record in the event.

“I didn’t want to be the coach to lose it his first year out, that’s for sure,” Wagoner said with a laugh. “It’s a great tradition, great history (at) this school. To come in here and compete like they did? It’s great. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and it ain’t over. We gotta keep going from here.”

Wagoner’s squad almost found itself on the wrong side of history Wednesday night, when it needed 10 innings to upend Frederick Douglass 1-0. Over the course of both games, Little pitched the entirety of 18 frames and struck out 30 batters, more than earning her MVP plaque.

Scott County, ranked 18th in the latest coaches poll, has won three straight games in the last 10 days, its second-longest streak of the season after a 6-0 start in March. Each has been a one-run decision; the first, a 5-4 victory at No. 6 Great Crossing, came on the heels of a 9-1 loss at home to No. 7 Lafayette. Its path to an 11th Region championship — something that has eluded the Cardinals since 2018 — potentially could feature both squads.

“I just want to keep the legacy up,” Reid said. “We know what we’ve had for so long, but the competition just keeps getting better and we have to work harder. A lot harder.”

How the Defenders advanced

This is the second year in a row Bryan Station (19-10) earned a berth in the 11th Region Tournament.

The Defenders survived a 2-1 battle with Henry Clay in Wednesday’s semifinals thanks to building a two-run lead on an RBI single in the third inning by Morgan Williams and an error that let Trinity Campbell score from first in the fourth inning.

In addition to striking out 13 Devils batters, Karsyn Rockvoan thwarted a squeeze-play attempt in the fourth inning that denied what could have been a critical run. Rockvoan fielded the Henry Clay bunt, froze the runner at third base and got the putout in a rundown. Henry Clay scored its only run two batters later.

“We knew that we were going to win, but we also knew it was hard to beat a team three times,” Rockvoan said of the Henry Clay game. “I felt really good about it, but that one inning where they got one run was a difficult stretch.”

Henry Clay (22-12) closed its season with its first winning record since 2016 and it tied its 2008 school record for wins in a regular season.

Lafayette prevails

Claire Cronan pitched a no-hitter against one of the state’s most potent lineups Thursday night to lead Lafayette in a 2-0 victory over No. 9 Lexington Catholic in the 43rd District championship game.

Cronan struck out eight batters. She got an early lift in the scoring department from Olivia Planck, who scored Anna Clay Denton after both delivered two-out singles in the bottom of the second inning. Aniyah White singled to lead off the fourth inning for Lafayette and Denton brought her in via a groundout later in the frame, the game’s final run.

“They did put the ball in play a couple of times, but it never really seemed like they were threatening,” Lafayette Coach Dan Grantz said. “Usually it’s the opposite, we’re scoring back-and-forth and battling. It was really a high-level game tonight, a lot of good pitching on both sides.”

Lafayette won the 43rd District championship for the fifth time in the last six iterations. It has met Lexington Catholic the last three finals: the last two years, they met again in the 11th Region championship. The district runner-up won the rematch each time; last season, LexCath tapped into its runner-up rage and nearly won the state title.

Both would need to win two more games before a hypothetical threequel.

“Nobody’s a pushover in this region tournament,” Grantz said. “It’s gonna be absolutely brutal.”

11th Region Tournament

Semifinals and finals at Henry Clay

Monday

6 p.m.: Western Hills (22-9) at Scott County (17-8)

6 p.m.: Madison Southern (15-21) at Lafayette (24-4)

7 p.m.: Lexington Catholic (20-9) at Madison Central (23-6)

7:30 p.m.: Bryan Station (19-10) at Great Crossing (27-4)

Tuesday

5:30 p.m.: Lexington Catholic-Madison Central winner vs. Western Hills-Scott County winner

8 p.m.: Madison Southern-Lafayette winner vs. Bryan Station-Great Crossing winner

Wednesday

6 p.m.: Championship game