CC softball team on a roll

The previous eight days have been more than impressive for the Corydon Central softball team. The big week opened with a victory over Paoli followed by key conference wins over Clarksville and North Harrison. It continued Saturday when the Lady Panthers won the New Albany Invitational, followed by a 5-3 victory over Crawford County on Monday.
Last Wednesday, the Lady Panthers picked up their first major Mid-Southern Conference win of the season, knocking off visiting Clarksville 3-2 in eight innings.
Trailing 2-0, the Corydon Central offense finally awoke with the long ball. Jordan Behagg drilled a pitch long over the left center-field fence, cutting the Clarksville lead in half. The rally continued with Annalea Miller reaching on a single. Jamie Hobbs sacrificed Miller to second, setting up the tying run. Shelby Short came up with a clutch hit ‘ a single to right field ‘ plating Miller.
‘We’ve been concerned ’cause she hadn’t been the Jordan we know, but we welcomed her back to the team today,’ said Corydon Central coach Kim Briscoe. ‘She just has not played to her potential, but she was also a vacuum cleaner at second (base) today.’
Corydon Central pitcher Jenna Keinsley found a groove the final half of the game. She allowed one base runner to reach in the eighth inning but was able to force the third out, escaping any trouble. In the bottom of the eighth, Corydon Central had the strength of its lineup coming to the plate and took advantage.
Courtney Thieneman reached on a single with one out. She then advanced to second on a wild pitch, setting up the eventual winning run. In the clutch, Keinsley lined a ball that bounced over the top of the first-base bag and down the line. Thieneman scored easily from second, prompting a Corydon Central celebration.
‘The bottom of the eighth, the sluggers were up,’ said Briscoe. ‘So I let them swing. I was expecting (the first out) Josey Kintner to step up and slug one, and she almost did. She and Thieneman have been the hottest (hitters) on the team, and one of them came through.’
With a key win over Clarksville, Corydon Central kept the MSC trend going Thursday, knocking off county and conference rival North Harrison 4-2 on the road.
Corydon Central jumped to an early 4-0 lead, backed by a Kintner home run. Keinsley scored the win in the circle, while Jessica Kaufman took the loss for the Lady Cats. Kaufman struck out six hitters while walking none.
Kaufman and Sasha Grangier each plated RBIs for North Harrison. Shelby Short had three hits out of the leadoff spot for the Lady Panthers and scored twice.
‘One of our goals is to see if we can win conference for the first time in school history,’ Briscoe said. ‘We’re going to focus on conference games and getting a lot of kids action on the field.’
On Saturday, Corydon Central continued their torrid hitting, ripping through the New Albany Invitational. They knocked off Providence in the opening game 10-5. Short, Keinsley and Behagg collected two hits each. Behagg’s two doubles led to a pair of RBIs.
In the championship game, Keinsley twirled a one-hit shutout, 6-0, over Mid-Southern Conference rival Silver Creek. Jolanna Stiles and Thieneman each had doubles and Short added a triple.
The good run then continued Monday when the Lady Panthers took down Crawford County 5-3. They broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh, plating a pair of runs. Keinsley picked up her seventh win of the season, striking out 11, and also tallied a pair of doubles.
In yesterday’s coaches poll, Corydon Central moved up to 11th in the Class 3A poll. The Lady Panthers host Providence today (Wednesday) at 5 p.m. before participating in a tournament in Hancock County on Friday and Saturday.