Ashland Little League’s 8U All-Stars Team Journey to State Runner’s Up
Boyd County Semi-Finalist
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
On Saturday, July 20, the Ashland Little League 8U softball all-stars team began their road to state. They came out strong as they bested not one but three teams on the first day. Beating Valley Sports 8U 9-1, North Laurel 13-3, and wrapping the day up with one final win against Trace Creek 15-13.
Trace Creek was a tough team to beat but that didn’t stop the girls from displaying true grit on the field that day as the girls battled and fought with everything they had and it paid off when they beat Trace Creek 15-13 in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure their spot in the State Championship game. The following morning in a rematch against Trace Creek, Ashland 8U fought tooth and nail and kept the game close all the way through to the end, but ultimately fell 7-6.
Later that evening Ashland Little Leagues feisty little ballers would face off with Trace Creek for a third and final time in the State Championship game. Going into the bottom of the fourth, Ashland 8U was already down 11-1, but that didn’t stop them from giving it their all. Ashland showed true poise and precision on the field that day as they fought back to score five more runs but ultimately fell to Trace Creek in a disappointing 11-6 loss.
Ashland Little League Softball board couldn’t have been more proud of the girls’ performances on and off the field that week and shared this message on their official Facebook page, “After a disappointing loss yesterday, we want you to know what kind of season we had…The most recent we had not one but two state runner ups! Out of all the teams In the state that have played to get to that point but didn’t succeed… We had two runner up teams (Ashland 8u and 10u)! What an accomplishment! Our kids… throughout the whole season 8u,10u, &12u have learned so much. You could see the growth from each one by the end of the regular season.”
They also wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who made this possible… “Our coaches/volunteers… First, thank you for giving your time… this is not possible without you. Also thank you for teaching these girls the fundamentals and helping them learn to love the game of softball. Thank you for being outstanding role models on and off the field. Parents… thank you for your patience and understanding. Without your support it is not possible for your child to succeed. Also, you are the greatest role model they have, and you have shown that this season. ASHLAND SOFTBALL’S FUTURE IS BRIGHT!”
The Boyd-Catlettsburg 8U all-stars also had reason to celebrate. Their road to state began on July 16, where they went up against Wheelersburg 8U all-stars for an all-out battle that ended with a 19-14 win for Boyd-Catlettsburg. The team had few days to rest up before going up against their next opponent on Saturday July 20 and started with a loss to Trace Creek 17-9. The second game of the day Boyd-Catlettsburg’s all-stars amassed 20 hits which ultimately led them to a 16-1 win over Harrison County’.
The third and final game of that day the girls kept that momentum going as they beat Valley Sports 10-0.
On Sunday, July 21, 2024, the girls in red and white started the day off with a 3-1 win over Shelby County.
Unfortunately, they didn’t fare as well in the next game and fell 10-7 to South Hardin. Even though this game took them out of the running for the 8u state championship this was nothing to hang their heads low about because they still finished as semi-finalist in the State Tournament.
Russell-Flatwoods Little League’s 11U baseball all-stars started off with a 14-2 win over the Nelson County 11U All-Stars on Monday, July 22. They tallied 13 hits in the game. Isaac Lewis and Silas Hutchinson each collected three hits for the Russell-Flatwoods 11U team. Mason Craft and Briar Kennard each drove in two runs and Sawyer Merrill earned the win. The right-handed pitcher surrendered only one hit and no runs across three innings, striking out three and walking none. Game two of that day ended in a disappointing loss of 6-5 to Corbin County’s 11U.
The following day, Russell-Flatwoods went up against Daviess County but would struggle to keep up as Daviess County took the lead early on, scoring six runs on six hits in the bottom of the second inning. Russell 11U would eventually fall to Daviess County 12-2.
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