It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Jefferson County ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They had just enough and edged the Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish out 5-4. This was payback for Jefferson County, who suffered a 9-4 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Olivia Mottern spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits. Those nine innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kayli Reece, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4. Zo? Lawson was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
On Knoxville Catholic's side, they also let their pitcher toss all 8.1 innings and she was also dialed-in: Caitlin Brooks gave up just two earned (and three unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up six Ks. Brooks has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Knoxville Catholic saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kenzy Navarro, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Laila Lucier, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Jefferson County's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-17. As for Knoxville Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
Jefferson County will head out on the road to square off against Morristown-Hamblen East at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Jefferson County is facing Morristown-Hamblen East at the right time seeing as Morristown-Hamblen East is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Knoxville Catholic, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Fulton at 6:00 p.m. The last three games Knoxville Catholic has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
