Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

The 2012 Rawlings/KHSAA Fast-Pitch Softball State Tournament will get underway at 5 p.m. CT (6 ET) at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro.

With four fields surrounding the press box, I’ll do my best to keep you up to date on what’s happening. (See below!)

(Also follow on Twitter: @MarkMaloneyHL )

Today’s (Thursday’s) schedule opens with Nicholas County facing Estill County; Boyle County versus Oldham County; North Laurel against Ashland Blazer; and Christian County taking on Ryle.

Late games, scheduled for 7 CT, have Mercy against Bullitt East; Scott County versus Greenwood; Owensboro Catholic facing Johnson Central; and Lone Oak tackling Green County.

The double-elimination tournament continues Friday, starting at 9 a.m. CT (10 ET). Saturday, play begins at 9 a.m. CT, with the winners’ bracket champion taking on the losers’ bracket survivor at 1 p.m. If necessary, a second game would immediately follow.

Score updates

Scott County and Greenwood are just about to get underway.

Meanwhile, Mercy leads Bullitt East 2-1 through one inning; Owensboro Catholic leads Johnson Central 1-0 in the second; while Lone Oak and Green County are scoreless in the third.

* Greenwood leads Scott County 1-0 through three complete innings.

Johnson Central and Owensboro Catholic are tied 1-1 through five complete.

Mercy is battering Bullitt East 12-1 in the third.

Lone Oak and Green County are tied 2-2 in the sixth.

* Mercy has finished off a 16-1 rout of Bullitt East.

* Greenwood adds a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth and goes on to beat Scott County 3-0.

* Owensboro Catholic edges Johnson Central 2-1, and Lone Oak tops Green County 4-3.

Early games

Boyle County 1B K.K. Davis takes the throw for the first out in the Lady Rebels' game against Oldham County.

North Laurel is the first team to score in the tournament, taking a 1-0 lead over Ashland Blazer through one inning.

* Boyle County strikes for a run in the bottom of the second inning and leads Oldham County 1-0. The Rebels used two walks, an error and a hit to score. Hannah Chadwell drew a two-out bases-loaded walk for the RBI.

On other fields, Nicholas County and Estill County are scoreless in the fourth, as are Ryle and Christian County. North Laurel still leads Ashland 1-0.

* Ashland Blazer has rallied to tie North Laurel 1-1 on McKenzie Vanover’s RBI single in the third inning. Play is now in the fourth inning.

* Boyle County is holding on to a 1-0 lead over Oldham County in the fourth inning. Nicholas County and Estill County remain scoreless in the sixth, while Ryle and Christian County are 0-0 in the fifth. Ashland Blazer and North Laurel are still tied 1-1, heading to the fifth.

* Nicholas County pushed a pair of runs across in the top of the sixth to break a scoreless tie against Estill County. Ryle and Christian County remain scoreless in the fifth. Boyle County leads Oldham County 1-0 in the middle of the fourth. And Ashland Blazer remains tied with North Laurel, 1-1, through five complete.

* Boyle County scored three runs to increase its lead to 4-0 over Oldham County through four complete innings.

Ryle also has broken through, taking a 1-0 lead over Christian County in the sixth.

North Laurel scored twice to take a 3-1 lead over Ashland Blazer in the middle of the sixth.

Nicholas County leads Estill County 2-0 in the seventh.

* Estill County rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Shelby Arthur’s two-run, two-out walkoff double, to edge Nicholas County 3-2.

Meanwhile, North Laurel closed out a 3-1 victory over Ashland Blazer, and Ryle claimed a 1-0 victory over Christian County.

Boyle County leads Oldham County 4-1 in the middle of the sixth.

* Boyle County closed out a 4-1 victory over Oldham County, completing the round of four early games.

Fort Campbell’s boys and Newport Central Catholic’s girls took the team championships Saturday in the KHSAA State Track & Field Meet at Louisville.

Fort Campbell totaled 83 points to top Bardstown (70). Ballard Memorial and St. Henry tied for third (46), two points ahead of Lexington Christian.

Will Mullett became LCA’s first-ever individual male champion, taking the 3,200 meters. The Eagles also won the 4-by-800 relay.

Fort Knox junior Courtney Edwards won four events: long and triple jump, plus both hurdles races.

NewCath’s girls scored 98 points. Runner-up St. Henry had 79.50, followed by Fort Campbell (65) and Bishop Brossart (59).

Sixth-place Danville had a double winner in Diamond Pace (triple jump, 300-meter hurdles), and teammate Candice Taylor took the long jump.

Earlier posts

With 13 of 18 events scored, Bardstown leads Fort Campbell 58-52 in the contest for KHSAA Class A Boys’ State Track & Field champion. Fort Knox is third with 30, a point ahead of Lexington Christian and Ballard Memorial.

Through 14 girls’ events, Newport Central Catholic leads with 73 points, followed by St. Henry (63.50), Bishop Brossart and Fort Campbell (49 each).

Some of the recent winners for the girls: Diamond Pace (Danville), 300 hurdles (47.36); Raegan Deaton (Green County), 800 (2:20.20); Candice Taylor (Danville), long jump (18-1.75); Katie Neiser (Bishop Brossart), 200 (26.15), and Annie Gruenschlaeger (Newport Central Catholic), shot (34-4 1/2).

Villa Madonna’s Corey Stoll outkicked Lexington Christian’s Nate Spain in the boys’ 800. Stoll finished in 1:56.12, Spain in 1:58.62.

Other recent boys’ winners: Damien Edelen (Bardstown), 400 (50.52); Courtney Edwards (Fort Knox), 300 hurdles (39.51), and Marc Speed (Kentucky Country Day), discus (142-4).

Initial post

Saturday’s first title in a boys’ track event goes to Lexington Christian’s 4-by-800 relay team.

Running on the Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park oval at the University of Louisville, LCA’s Nate Spain, Ben Boone, Will Mullett and Chris Elliott combined for a time of 8:10.73.

The Eagles led at each exchange, but Elliott was overtaken by Bardstown’s Adam Kaleifeh. Elliott maintained close contact, though, and blew past Kaleifeh with about 250 meters left. Andrew Linkugel got St. Henry up for second (8:14.15), followed by Bardstown (8:16.67).

St. Henry (9:50.23) and Newport Central Catholic (9:54.41) duplicated their 1-2 finish of a year ago in the girls’ relay.

Another repeat 1-2 finish came in the 100-meter hurdles, where Model’s Chelsea Harnack bested Russellville’s Chiquita Rose, 15.89 to 16.25.

A few minutes later, Harnack (12.54) ran second to Bishop Brossart’s Katie Neiser (12.47) in the 100-meter dash.

Frankfort’s Quan Weaver (11.13) held off Danville’s Lamont Key (11.20) in the boys’ 100.

Courtney Edwards of Fort Knox took the boys’ 110-meter hurdles (14.71). Paintsville’s Tyler Lemaster was runner-up (15.08).

Michael Burden of McClean County took honors in the shot (48-4.50), ahead of St. Henry’s Justin Ziegler (47-4).

The other field event completed early, the girls’ discus, went to Beechwood’s Brianna McCarty (106-10), who nipped Megan Hunter of Nicholas County by a mere five inches.

The 4-by-200 relay for boys was won by Mayfield (1:30.57), ahead of Fort Campbell (1:31.70).

The girls’ 4-by-200 went to Newport Central Catholic (1:46.61), followed by Fort Campbell (1:46.97).

Other girls’ winners: Catherine Claywell (Murray), high jump (5-6); Victoria Yocum (Bardstown), 400 (59.51); Newport Central Catholic, 4-by-100 relay (51.20); and Maria Frigo (St. Henry), 1,600 (5:13.41).

More boys’ winners: Fort Campbell, 4-by-100 relay (43.24), and Corey Stoll (Villa Madonna), 1,600 (4:23.43).