LEXINGTON — Central Hardin’s run at the state tournament came to an end Saturday, as the Bruins fell 7-0 to Henderson County in the quarterfinals of the KHSAA State Softball Tournament at the University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium.
Central Hardin (33-9-1) was limited to two hits against one of the state’s best defenses, and it was only the second time this season that the Bruins had been held scoreless — and the first since March 27.
“We just came up on the short end of it tonight,” Bruin coach Jamie Goodman said. “We didn’t get any breaks tonight, I thought all the breaks went the other way. Sometimes, there’s games like that.
“We battled,” he added. “Sometimes, you just got to tip your hat to the other team, they were just better than us tonight. That still doesn’t take away from our fight and our grit. We fought hard, just came up on the short end of the stick.”
Lynlee Britain and Alanna Jones collected the lone hits for Central Hardin, which got its best scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth inning. Britain hit a single, followed by walks drawn by Allie Link and Alyssa Gent with one out on the board. However, Henderson County (32-5) turned a double play to end the scoring threat.
The Colonels set the tone with a two-run home run from Taylor Troutman in the bottom of the first inning, followed by consecutive RBIs by Kendal Hargrove and Jamaya Byrum in the third frame.
Henderson County tacked on three more runs in the fifth to provide the final margin.
Despite the loss, Goodman was quick to credit his players for their progression throughout the season.
“It’s like I told them, it’s easy to be proud of them when they’re winning, but I’ve been proud of them for being a team,” he said. “They’ve developed into a team over the year. That’s the most important part. They’ve really done that and really focused on that aspect of it. I’m proud of them for that.”
With the Bruins making their first trip to the state tournament since 2019, Goodman expects a bright future for his squad.
“It’s a big experience for the younger ones,” he said. “We haven’t been here for a couple years, so it was nice to get back here for younger kids. Our seniors have done a great job in leading. I’m super excited for the future. We’re going to miss our seniors, but they did a fabulous job and left a great foundation.”
Following the game, Britain was named to the KHSAA State All-Tournament Team.
CENTRAL HARDIN|000 000 0 — 0 2 0
HENDERSON COUNTY|202 030 X — 7 9 0
WP-Kemp. LP-Smith. 2B-Willett 2, Hargrove (HC). HR-Troutman (HC).