In a thrilling contest that stretched into extra innings, the Greensburg Lady Pirates outlasted Batesville 6-2 in a nine-inning marathon that showcased the heart of a champion. Both pitchers delivered complete-game performances, but it was Greensburg's explosive four-run ninth inning that sealed the victory.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Kirkley Lowe grounded out to bring home Addisyn McNeely. Greensburg doubled their lead in the fifth as Harper Adams grounded out to score Emma Herbert, making it 2-0. But Batesville refused to back down, answering with a run in the bottom of the fifth on Laken Obermeyer's double that scored Cora Roth.
The Bulldogs tied it up in the sixth, when Grace Copley's double to center field brought Caitlyn Fox home. From there, the game became a pitcher's duel, with both teams locked in a 2-2 stalemate until the ninth.
That's when Greensburg's offense exploded. Adams delivered a clutch double to center field, scoring both Lowe and Herbert. Addyson Dolan's ground out brought Layla Murray home, and Aubrie Barnes-Pettit's double drove in Madelyn Bedel, capping the inning at 6-2.
Adams was nothing short of dominant in the circle, pitching all nine innings while allowing just one earned run on five hits and striking out an impressive 16 batters. At the plate, she led the Lady Pirates with three RBIs and two singles, supported by doubles from Barnes-Pettit, Herbert, and Adams herself. Murray, Herbert, and Tinley Klene also contributed singles, while Dolan, Barnes-Pettit, and Lowe each drove in a run.
For Batesville, Grace Copley also went the distance, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out seven. She and Obermeyer both doubled, with Roth and Fox adding singles. Copley and Obermeyer each recorded an RBI.
Batesville Coach Gene Cooney praised his team's effort: "Was a great game to watch and coach and so proud of our team! We had a couple chances to win the game in regular play but just fell short. Was a true battle of pitchers last night and so proud of Grace who pitched all nine innings for us. They found out a lot about themselves last night and hope to carry that over for the rest of the season and polish up the things we need to do as a team to win these close games against really good pitchers and teams."
In other action, South Decatur powered to a 13-3 home victory over Waldron, scoring in all but one inning. Waldron struck first with two runs in the top of the first, but South answered with three in the bottom half. Dalilah Martin scored on an error, Lyndsey Shireman singled to bring home Raegan Benge, and Shireman scored on a passed ball to make it 3-2. The Cougars kept the pressure on in the second, with Lilly Murray singling to score Samatha Cole, and Lily Huey and Murray both coming around on a Waldron error to extend the lead to 6-2.
Waldron cut the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth, but South responded immediately. Martin's ground out scored Huey, Riley Benge drove in Raegan Benge with a single, and Shireman's double brought Riley Benge home, putting the game out of reach.