By Blain Click
CV&T Sports Reporter
photo submitted
The Lady Engineers display their district championship trophy after the 6-1 victory over Powell County.
Lady Engineers win 15th district title in a row.
The Estill County Softball Team is once again district champions after upending the Powell County Pirates on Tuesday May 21st.
The Lady Neers continued unprecedented dominance of the district by winning their 15th in a row at Happy Top Field in Lee County.
The Pirates took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second on an unearned run, but Estill would finally get on the board scoring three runs in the bottom of the third on RBI’s from Mia Hale, Mo Riddell, and Maci Muncie. Hale capped off the day with a two run homerun in the sixth to preserve the 6-1 victory. Emma Winkle pitched seven strong innings giving up no earned runs and only five hits as she struck out eight Pirate batters. She was named the tournament MVP.
The Engineers would face off against a strong Jackson City squad in the first round of the regional tournament held at Breathitt County on Memorial Day. The Neers would take an early 1-0 lead on an RBI from Elizabeth Hardy in the bottom of the first. That score held until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Neers picked up four more on RBI’s from Winkle, Riddell and Duechle.
The game appeared to be over, but the Tigers came roaring back in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs and placing runners at second and third with two outs.
Winkle was able to get Mcintosh to fly out to seal the victory for Estill County, who moved on to face Perry Central in the semifinals. Estill County is seeking their eleventh 14th region title in 14 tries since joining the mountain region in 2006.
Winkle, Riddell, and Hardy each collected two of the 12 Engineer hits on the day. Winkle goes the distance giving up three runs on five hits and striking out nine Tiger batters. Coach Tony Turner’s Tigers finish the season at 23-13 and return most of the squad for next year.