White County did the hard part early — but couldn’t withstand one big inning.
The Warriorettes built a four-run lead through two innings and held control into the middle frames, but a seven-run fourth inning from Warren County flipped the game and ultimately handed White County a 12-8 loss.
Warren County struck first with a two-run homer in the top of the first, but White County answered immediately in the bottom half.
Addison Norvell opened the inning with a single, and Kylie Norvell followed with another base hit to put two on. Anna McCulley delivered the first big swing of the night, lining a double to right field that scored both runners and tied the game. Later in the inning, AK Wallace added an RBI single to bring home McCulley and give White County a 3-2 lead.
White County kept the pressure on in the second.
Abbi Hutson led off with a double, and after moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Addison Norvell, Kylie Norvell drove her in with a single. McCulley followed with another hit to keep the inning alive, and the Warriorettes added two more runs — one coming on a groundout from Callie Phillips and another off the bat of Addison Howell. Wallace capped the rally with a double as White County stretched the lead to 6-2.
Through three innings, White County maintained control despite Warren County scratching across a run to make it 6-3.
Then came the fourth.
Warren County pieced together baserunners early in the inning and cut into the lead before delivering the biggest swing of the game — a grand slam that erased White County’s advantage and put the Warriorettes behind 9-6 in a matter of moments.
White County continued to compete late.
In the sixth, Kylie Norvell reached and later scored, while McCulley and Phillips helped generate more offense as the Warriorettes pushed across two runs to trim the deficit. But Warren County answered again, adding insurance runs in the late innings to keep separation.
White County put runners on in the seventh, including a leadoff walk from Miah Jo Swindell, but couldn’t find the timely hit to extend the rally.
Mabry Taylor went the distance in the circle for White County, working all seven innings. She allowed 12 runs on 13 hits, walked four, and struck out three.
White County finished the regular season with a record of 8 wins and 18 losses. The District Tournament will begin Friday.
WHITE COUNTY BOX SCORE:
HITS: Kylie Norvell 3, Anna McCulley 2, AK Wallace 2, Addison Norvell 1, Callie Phillips 1, Addison Howell 1, Abbi Hutson 1
RUNS: Kylie Norvell 3, Anna McCulley 2, Addison Norvell 1, Abbi Hutson 1
RBI: Anna McCulley 2, Callie Phillips 2, Kylie Norvell 1, Addison Howell 1, AK Wallace 1
2B: Abbi Hutson, AK Wallace, Anna McCulley
TB: AK Wallace 3, Anna McCulley 3, Kylie Norvell 3, Abbi Hutson 2, Addison Howell 1, Addison Norvell 1, Callie Phillips 1
The Main Street Journal – Sparta's Spring Sports coverage is brought to you by Sparta Heating & Air Conditioning.