Warren County softball did not waste any time opening the week with a win Monday evening.
Taking on Franklin County in McMinnville, the Lady Pioneers quickly took care of business in a 15-3, four-inning victory.
“I thought (Kyaira Sharpe) threw a lot of strikes pitching. She gave us a chance in the circle,” Warren County coach Jerry Martin said. “I’m disappointed in our defense. We shouldn’t have gave them three runs. That’s what’s costing us playing the good teams. We have a lack of concentration and then boom, three runs and it’s hard to come back from that against a good team. Other than that, I’m proud of the girls. We swung the bats well and our defense was pretty good other than those mental plays.”
The win put Warren County at 4-1 to start its April slate after losing six of its last seven to close out March. The Lady Pioneers’ only loss in the new month so far came on Friday in an 11-0 home loss to Coffee County, a team they previously fell to in Manchester on March 18.
“I think we’re getting a little more consistent. That’s the key. The girls are getting a little more confidence, we’ve kind of got a roster that we’re playing 10 or 11, so everybody kind of knows their role,” Martin said of what’s been working for the team as of late. “It’s coming together, but we’ve still got to get a little better and get some timely hits in the big games.”
Warren County got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Lola Wells doubled on a fly ball to right field to send Ky Damon home. Kyaira Sharpe came to the plate not long after and added a double of her own, allowing Addison Smith and Wells to score in the process.
The Lady Pioneers’ early lead was short-lived, as Franklin County answered with three runs of its own in the top of the second to make it a 3-3 ballgame.
Looking to break the tie in the bottom of the inning, Warren County quickly loaded the bases before Wells again came to the plate. Wells proceeded to knock a line drive to left field for a single, bringing in Damon and Ceilee Gudat to put the Lady Pioneers up 5-3.
Warren County continued to run away with it from there, adding five more runs in the third inning and another five in the fourth, while simultaneously keeping Franklin County off the board in the same span to seal the early win.
“I think there’s a difference between practicing and actually getting on a field,” Wells said of the Lady Pioneers’ recent turnaround. “Once you get on a field you can see what you need to work on.”
Warren County posted 16 hits over the course of the game, with three each for Damon, Sharpe and Lily Rains. Wells, Gudat and Kaydence Wiser each added two. Ruby Denning had one hit.
Wells came away with four of the Lady Pioneers’ 13 RBI. Sharpe followed with three. Up next were Damon, Rains and Gudat with two RBI each.
Sharpe went the distance in the circle, striking out two and holding Franklin County to three hits, three runs and two walks across all four innings.
