Wednesday proved to be a night of highs and lows for Taylor County, as the Varsity Cardinals baseball team thrilled with a walk-off 4-3 win over Adair County, while the Lady Cards softball squad came up short against Marion County, 7-4.
Baseball: Taylor County Edges Adair County in Walk-Off Thriller
In a tightly contested battle at Adair County, the Taylor County Varsity Cardinals clinched a dramatic 4-3 victory in walk-off fashion. With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, an error by the Indians allowed the winning run to cross the plate, sending the Cardinals home with the win.
Taylor County got on the scoreboard in the second inning thanks to an Adair error. Adair responded in the third, tying the game on a wild pitch. The Cardinals retook the lead in the fourth when Cole McLean launched a solo homer to center field.
The Indians countered in the fifth, putting up two runs behind an RBI single from Jasper Kemp and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Aiden Smith to go ahead 3-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Taylor County came alive. Reace Vaughn doubled to left to tie the game, and a defensive miscue by Adair brought in the winning run.
Silas Young earned the win for the Cardinals with a shutdown seventh inning, striking out two and allowing no hits. Starter Gabe Cole went five innings, surrendering one hit and three runs (two earned) while striking out six. JT Johns contributed a scoreless sixth inning in relief.
McLean led the offense with a solo home run, while Hayes, McLean, and Vaughn each collected a hit. Vaughn and McLean drove in one run apiece.
For Adair County, Kemp and Brody Brock recorded one hit each. Coomer, despite taking the loss, pitched well—striking out nine over six and two-thirds innings while giving up just one earned run.
Softball: Lady Cards Rally Falls Short in Loss to Marion County
Meanwhile, on the softball diamond, the Taylor County Varsity Lady Cards couldn’t overcome a mid-game deficit in a 7-4 loss to the Marion County Lady Knights.
Marion County took control in the fourth inning, scoring twice following a defensive error and an RBI groundout from Addison Garrett. Taylor County answered with a solo home run from Hannah Gupton in the fifth, cutting the lead to 2-1.
The Lady Knights widened the gap late, scoring five more runs before the Lady Cards mounted a late push in the seventh. Ayden French crushed a two-run homer to center, but the rally fell short.
French led the Taylor County offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Gupton added the solo homer as part of the Lady Cards’ seven-hit effort.
Briley Edwards took the loss in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing two unearned runs on four hits. Gracyn Mattingly went the distance for Marion County, giving up four runs (three earned) while striking out five.
Marion County was led by Abbi Million’s perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate, while five different Lady Knights recorded an RBI to pace a balanced offensive attack.