Owensboro- The Lady Jackets stumbled out of the gate Thursday night on the red field at Jack C. Fisher Park. A pair of run-scoring doubles in the first quickly had the Woodford squad on the ropes. Bethany Todd was making quality pitches but the Mercy bats had the answer. “We could not catch a break tonight and sometimes that is just how a game plays out,” said coach Les Anderson. “The girls were caught a little off guard but they stuck together and we just could not make a run”. Abby Wilder for Mercy opened the lead a bit more in the 3rd with a 3 run home run which made the lead 7-0. From there the Lady Jackets dug deep and kept the Mercy squad off the board for the remainder of the game. Ariel Dailey made a beautiful diving stop in the 4th and the Woodford crowd erupted hoping for some momentum. Kayleigh Poe and Marly Maristany both had rbi singles to get Woodford on the board in the 4th and Woodford looked to be putting pressure on Mercy for the firs time in the game. Caitlin Karo shut down Mercy the rest of the way but Lexi Ray for Mercy was too strong and finished with a complete game to put Woodford on their heels after the first game of the state tournament. “We’ll battle tomorrow, I guarantee it,” said Anderson. “My girls have faced adversity before, it’s time to see what we are made of”.
Lady Jackets fall short in state opener
