donbrown00@alltel.net

Staff writer

LOUISVILLE -- The Cougar softball team continued its quest for excellence by playing the best Monday night as they went on the road and to defeat second-ranked Louisville Ballard 3-0.

The Cougars (27-4) managed only three hits against Lady Bruin hurler Kristina Hortert, but the first one drove in two runs in the first inning and they made them stand up.

Meanwhile, Cougar right-hander Michelle Critchelow was handcuffing Ballard (19-3) on two hits and 11 strikeouts. She was in trouble only once, when Ballard put runners at second and third with no outs in the sixth inning, but she struck out the next three batters to end that threat.

The Cougars had to do all the work themselves as they got no help at all from the three men in blue. Head Coach John Skaggs and assistant Josh Bloomer were complaining throughout the contest before Skaggs was summarily tossed from the game when on official made a terrible call in the fifth inning. It mattered little as the Cougars were in charge from the outset.

Both leadoff hitter Cindy Langley and number-two hitter Desiree Waterman worked 3-2 counts into walks to set the stage for Beth Glasscock. The strong right-handed hitting third baseman picked on the first pitch she saw from Hortert and ripped a line drive past the Lady Bruin shortstop that rolled all the way to the wall in left-center field. Langley scored easily and Waterman made it around from first base as well. Glasscock went to third on a wild throw to the plate.

That put the Cougars in the driver's seat and left them with the chance to get more with Glasscock at third and no one out. But Hortert buckled down, striking out Critchelow and Lee Ann Wood, then getting Alicia Strickland to ground out to third base.

Critchelow started the game on fire as she retired the first 11 batters she faced, including five strikeouts in a row to begin the game. She lost her bid for a perfect game when she hit Hortert with a two-out pitch in the fourth inning.

Grayson County added an insurance run in the third. Langley walked to lead off the inning and went to second on a bunt hit by Waterman. Glasscock flew out to right field for the first out of the inning which allowed Langley to move to third. With Critchelow at the plate, Skaggs had Waterman and Langley work a perfect walking-steal play.

Time after time, Waterman walked off first on her way to second, with Hortert making several throws to second baseman Joanna Sells to force Waterman to retreat while Langley danced down the line at third.

Finally, Sells began to try to make the throw to first to get Waterman, but one throw was low as Waterman slid back and Langley was able to take off and score without a throw.

That put Ballard in a tough spot against one of the best pitchers in the state. Still, they mounted a threat in the bottom of the sixth. The numbers eight and nine batters, catcher Brittany Gowers and right fielder Jill Fawbush, had back-to-back singles leading off the inning. When Fawbush's line drive to left field got past Mallory Carter, both runners advanced to second and third.

That brought up the top of the order for the Lady Bruins, and it also brought an extra surge of adrenaline to Critchelow. She struck out left fielder Lyndsie Beanblossom, then designated player Sharon Brill for the second out. That brought up the pitcher, Hortert, and Critchelow fanned her as well as the Cougar fans went wild.

Critchelow then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close out the win.

The Cougars end the regular season this week with two games at home, Meade County on Thursday at 5 p.m., then Edmonson County on Friday, also at 5 p.m. On Saturday, they will be the host team of The Battle on the HIll, to be played at Western Kentucky University. At 2:30 they will take on Mercy, then at 7 p.m. they will battle Heath.