HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs had a flair for the dramatic Friday on the softball diamond.
Humboldt rebounded from a 4-1 deficit through the middle innings, only to see Central Heights rally from a 7-4 deficit with a four-run seventh inning to take an 8-7 lead.
That set the stage for Humboldt’s Karley Wools, who broke an 8-8 tie in the bottom of the inning with a single to send Humboldt home with a 9-8 victory.
The win came in the opening round of the LIndsey Frienderich Memorial Tournament.
Rainy weather put the kibosh on the championship game against Anderson County, which saw Humboldt trailing 4-2 in the second inning.
Humboldt took a 1-0 lead in the opener against Central Heights, when Isabelle Murrow doubled with two outs and scored on an Emily Ross single.
But the Vikings Taylor Chrisjohn put Central Heights on top with a three-run home run in the top of the third. Central Heights tacked on another run for a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
It didn’t take Humboldt long to reply.
Kady Hart doubled and Madison Riebel singled for a run to start the home half of the fourth. Kirstyn Murrow then blasted an 0-1 pitch for a two-out, two-run homer to tie the score at 4.
Isabelle Murrow reached on an error in the fifth and scored on an Emily Ross triple. Brooklyn Ellis followed with an RBI single, but the Lady Cubs left the bases loaded without scoring any more in the frame.
Wools and Isabelle Murrow singled to start the sixth, and Ross hit an RBI ground for a 7-4 lead.
Alas, Central Heights responded in the seventh with four hits and a walk, aided by a Humboldt fielding error, to take an 8-7 lead.
Riebel singled to start the bottom of half of the frame. Courtesy runner Kenisyn Hottenstein advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, then moved to third when Central Heights failed to record an out on a ground ball from Laken Hunter.
Hottenstein scored on a passed ball to tie the proceedings at 8 apiece. That led to Wools’ single back up the middle to score Hunter, sending the crowd home happy.
The Lady Cubs racked up 16 hits in the contest.
Wools had three singles, including her game-winner. Kisrtyn Murrow had a single and home run. Isabelle Murrow and Hart each had a single and double. Emily Ross had a single and triple. Riebel and Carsyn Haviland each singled twice. Ellis also had a home run.
THE BULLDOGS used the long ball in the abbreviated contest for its four runs.
