Lady Colts sink Admirals 15-5 in six innings

When West Jessamine and Danville met March 16, the Lady Colts (5-4) escaped with a 5-4 win. Monday night, it was a much different and shorter affair as West dismissed the Lady Admirals (3-4) 15-5 in six innings.

“This week we spent a lot of time working on the small game. Bunting was something that we weren’t very successful at (in the past), and I feel like we were able to force them into several errors,” West coach Michelle Baker said. “It just shows my kids that we’re having a hard time with the bunt, that (bunting) can make you successful and it doesn’t have to be a big shot to win a game. You can win a game with the small ball as well.”

A 1-0 deficit after the top of the first inning did not deter the Lady Colts, who scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good. A double by Ashley Etherton drove in two runs in the frame.

West pushed its lead to 5-1 in the third inning as Hannah Archer and Kelsey Garrett each drove in a run.
Garrett was also in the circle for West. In six innings, she struck out four, walked three and allowed five runs on nine hits.

“I thought Kelsey pitched well. I put a lot of pressure on her early in the season ... and I think she’s stepped up,” Baker said.

Danville was able to cut into the lead a bit in the fourth inning. scoring two runs, but West got out of the jam, stranding two Admiral runners.

West pushed the lead back out to 7-3 in the bottom of the fourth as Alyson and Hannah Archer each drove in a run.

The Lady Colts’ lead continued to expand in the fifth inning as a two-out error by Danville turned into two more runs for West.

With a 10-5 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, West was able to put the game away as the first five batters reached base and scored.

Jessica Baker went 2-for-5 with three runs batted in and a steal. Alyson Archer was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two runs batted in and a walk. Hannah Archer was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. All but one Lady Colt scored at least one run.

West utilized its speed on the base paths, executing several bunts for hits and steals.

“After a weekend of practice and me working them pretty hard, I got a lot of effort and a lot of dedication today,” Baker said. “I told them if they play like that every single day and give that kind of effort every single day, there will be very few teams that will be able to get a victory on us.”

The Lady Colts lost to Franklin County on Tuesday night 17-7 and fell to Anderson County 11-1 last Thursday.