By LINDSEY WOOD

CV&T Reporter

The Estill County High School softball team stands 7-2 after last week’s play. The Lady Engineers defeated Garrard County 5-0, and Montgomery County 9-3 before losing to Madison Central 9-4. They capped off the week with an 11-1 region victory against Perry County Central.

Estill’s first and best win of this impressive week was against Garrard County. Before taking on the Lady Engineers, Garrard had defeated several tough teams, including West Jessamine, North Laurel, George Rogers Clark, and Rockcastle County. In this game, the Lions threw senior right-hander Elle Montgomery and came looking for a win.

From the start, Estill’s defense played tough and smart, refusing to give up a single run and allowing senior pitcher Kaylee Covey to get the shut-out. At the plate, eighth grader Mia Hale got the Lady Engineers on the board with her RBI base hit in the second. However, the best action wouldn’t be until the fourth inning when junior third-baseman Elizabeth Hardy hit a grand slam! Hardy’s first-ever home run couldn’t have been more memorable.

Of that moment, Hardy commented, “Well, I was shocked when it happened because hitting a grand slam never entered my mind when I went up to bat, but it felt good to be apart of that win against a solid team.”

Following this impressive win, the Lady Engineers grabbed a decisive 9-3 victory over Montgomery County. Estill’s bats won this game for them. Sophomore Kaylee Riddell drove in four runs, going three-for-four for the night. Senior Lindsey Wood also went three-for-four, crossing home plate three times and grabbing two RBI’s. Alyssa Sparks and Sarah Wiseman also contributed; Sparks had three hits, and Wiseman had two and a walk. On the other side of the ball, the Engineers weren’t as focused as they were against Garrard, but they ultimately held Montgomery off.

Estill slacked off a little bit in their next game against Madison Central, eventually losing 9-4. While the Engineers’ offense managed to keep them in game until the sixth inning, when the Indians finally pulled ahead for good, a few defensive errors proved very costly for Estill as the night went on.

The Lady Engineers got back on track in their next competition, a home game against the Perry Central Commodores. This is not a typical regular season match-up for either team; they typically only meet in the post-season. Estill’s offense took off this game: the team had eleven total hits. Defensively, Covey and her fielders held the Commodores to one run.