The McCracken County Lady Mustangs returned to Baptist Health Field on Monday night to host the Community Christian Academy Lady Warriors and celebrate the achievements of head coach Tony Hayden. The Lady Mustangs swept CCA in the doubleheader, finishing 14-1 and 16-3.
“[On his achievement] It’s big, and you don’t do it without good coaches or a good program,” Hayden said. “I’m blessed, and everyone that is here tonight is here for me, but none of this would be possible without them.”
The McCracken County softball program honored Hayden with members of his past teams, staff members, and his family, including his grandchildren, who lined the fences at the field. A special moment for Hayden came as former member Ally Hutchins Facetimed with him in between the doubleheader. As Hutchins’s mother walked away, Hayden’s face-born emotion, explaining moments like that, made this all worth it.
Despite a slow start, McCracken County scored on a solo home run by Addley Leidecker in the bottom of the second inning. The Lady Mustangs plated three more runs in the inning, taking a 4-1 lead before CCA escaped the bottom of the second without further damage.
KG Walker led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo shot in left field, giving McCracken County a 5-1 lead. With two outs, Macy Butler ripped a two-run RBI double, scoring Savannah McDowell and Leidecker, taking a 7-1 lead. Seven more runs came in the bottom of the fourth inning for McCracken County to push the game out of reach, leading to the final score of 14-1.
In the second game, the Lady Mustangs defeated CCA 16-3, thanks to big home runs from McDowell and Megan Canning. McCracken County took a 2-0 lead at the top of the first and quickly moved to 3-0 at the top of the second.
CCA plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning with RBI singles by Abigail Wring and Knight. However, the threat ended with a McCracken County pitching change from Anna Kate Hawes to Leidecker to end the inning as Leidecker struck out the next batter.
The Mustangs continued to explode offensively in the top of the third inning with a single by Cami Cox, a double by Walker, and a single by Leidecker before a two-run homer by McDowell, her second on the day, giving McCracken County a 7-2 lead.
McDowell continued to dominate in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI double, which extended the Mustang lead to 9-2. Grace Henderson continued the threat, making it a 10-2 game, reaching on an error and allowing McDowell to score.
The Lady Warriors added one more run to the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning as Addie Arnett scored on an error by McCracken County. The Lady Mustangs made it a 16-3 game as Canning hit a home run in the top of the seventh inning, allowing Lilly Hamilton and Henderson to score.
McCracken County will travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday before hosting Marshall County on Thursday night. The Lady Warriors will face Ballard Memorial on Friday night at the Lady Bombers field.