The Lady Panthers have a tall task ahead of them, but they’re peaking at the right time. It’s win or go home in today’s semi-state game as Daviess County takes on No. 2 Warren East, who finished runner-up in last year’s softball state championship.
Game time is set for 11 a.m. at Western Kentucky University, and the overhauled single-elimination playoff format means there’s no room for error.
This year, the 4th Region champion Lady Raiders (33-2) have again proven they are title contenders, combining a dynamic offense with an ace pitcher to roll through nearly every opponent.
The Lady Panthers (24-12) struggled early in the year, but they’re riding a seven-game win streak. They closed the last seven weeks with a 16-3 run that included a dominant showing en route to 9th District and 3rd Region championships. Their offense has found its stride, mixing power with a little bit of small ball to keep defenses on their heels.
They’ll need every bit of that versatility today, as Warren East has one of the top defenses in Kentucky. The Lady Raiders have allowed only 41 runs all year, 15 of which were unearned. Standout pitcher Katie Gardner has led the way, posting a 0.77 ERA in 164.1 innings while allowing just 18 earned runs on 75 hits. She’s struck out 309 batters and walked only 43.
The DC offense is hot, though, and shown they are capable of putting up runs in a hurry. In their most recent five games — which led to district and region championships — the Lady Panthers outscored their competition 52-11.
It starts with leadoff batter Millie Roberts, who has clubbed a team record 16 homers this season. While they relied on the long ball early in the year, the Lady Panthers closed out the season using base hits and aggressive running to do most of their damage.
Abby Newman has really come along late in the year batting second, and she’s 10-for-17 with eight runs and four RBIs in the postseason. Savanah Northern, Sydney Howard and Cameron Hamilton are all batting above .300, and the entire order has made contributions in one way or another.
Head coach John Biggs said they’ve come a long way since mid-April, when Daviess County couldn’t string together more than a couple wins in a row.
“We were struggling,” he said. “At one time we were sitting at about .500, but they really came together and started playing for each other. It means a lot when you’ve got an older team. There are seven girls who have been around and know what the expectations are. Then we mix in some youth, and it’s a pretty good combination.”
Another key to success over the final weeks has been the re-emergence of pitcher Emily Stanley, who wasn’t even able to throw a ball for most of the season while recovering from an injury. She threw less than 10 innings during the regular season, then went the distance in the semifinal and championship wins of both the district and region tournaments.
Biggs said he hopes to ride the hot hand of Stanley, but he’s also got another pair of arms who can get the job done. Greysee Whiteker and Cameron Hamilton have both seen significant action at various times this season and picked up a few wins late in the year.
“If you’ve got a hot arm, you can use that to get you through some games,” Biggs said. “We’ll see how Emily feels. We’ve got some other capable pitchers that I have confidence in if we need to put them out there in the circle.”
Warren East has put up similar numbers to Daviess County this season, reaching double-digit scoring 14 times. The Lady Raiders hold a slight edge in runs (307-278), hits (402-350) and home runs (41-38).
With the move away from double-elimination, the loser’s season ends in today’s semi-state game. The winner will go on to play June 7 in Lexington in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
