Lady Leps Cage the Bulldogs, Win Sectional

Louisville 11, Canton McKinley 1, 6 Innings

The Lady Leopards fell behind 1-0, but scored 11 unanswered runs to mercy the Canton McKinley Bulldogs 11-1 in the Sectional Championship Monday evening at the Diamond of Dreams.  Louisville scored five runs with two outs in the sixth inning to run-rule the Lady Pups.

The Bulldogs grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Carissa Pickens sent a towering blast over the left-center field wall.  After that at bat Brittany Flanigan struck out six McKinley hitters and shutdown the Lady Pups the rest of the way.

The Lady Leps tied the game back up without getting a hit in the bottom half of the opening inning.  Flanigan walked and stole second, Emily Isla reached base on an error allowing Flanigan to advance to third, and Desi Givens walked to load the bases.  Chandler Rice drove in Flanigan on a sacrifice groundout, but Louisville couldn’t muster another run and the score stood 1-1 after a single inning.

Louisville broke the game open in the third inning as four Leopards all came around to score with two outs.  Shelby Swigert cracked a double deep down the left field line that drove in Flanigan and Givens.  Then Jordan Monnot singled to center and advanced to second on the play after a failed throw home allowed Swigert to cross home plate.  A bloop single by Carlee Baumgardner brought home Monnot and just like that the Leps had a 5-1 lead.

Rice provided another insurance run with a mammoth shot to center field that landed just feet in front of the cars parked there.  The home run was Rice’s seventh of the season and the Lady Leopards 22nd round-tripper of the season.

The wheels came off for the Bulldogs in the sixth inning and it all started with pinch-hitting Amy Hoover.  After a five minute at-bat, Hoover got on board with a walk.  Isla then cracked a two-out single to advance Hoover to second.  Isla then led so far off first base that the Bulldogs’ catcher rocketed a throw down to first base that went over the head of the first baseman and down the right field line.  Hoover scored on the play and Isla made it all the way to third.

Givens then drew a walk, but rather than stopping at second practically walked to second base almost unnoticed.  Rice then tripled to right field to bring home Isla and Givens for her third and fourth RBIs of the day.  Swigert singled home Rice to give Louisville a 10-1 cushion.  Then Monnot cracked a double before being thrown out at third base.  However, Swigert crossed the plate before the tag was applied, which gave Louisville the run-rule 11-1 six inning victory.

Louisville wins their sectional for the second straight year and will take on Perry in the District Semifinals at Massillon Community Park on Thursday.

NEXT: The Lady Leps will host Canton South tomorrow (Tuesday, May 17) at 4:30 PM in the final regular season game of the year.

NEXT TOURNAMENT GAME: Louisville will travel to Massillon Community Park to take on the Perry Panthers in the District Semifinals on Thursday, May 19 at 4:30 PM.

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