Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

From Jack C. Riley Park in Owensboro, we’re down to the last two games of the day in the Rawlings/KHSAA Softball State Tournament.

In elimination games, Greenwood is taking on Ryle, while North Laurel is facing Lone Oak.

Tonight’s winners will meet in the losers’ bracket semifinals, Saturday at 9 a.m. CT (10 ET).

At the same time, Boyle County will play Mercy in the winners’ bracket finals.

Losers’ bracket finals are set for 11 a.m. CT (noon ET). A potential final game will be played at 1 p.m. CT. If necessary, another game would immediately follow.

* Lone Oak scores twice in the bottom of the first; now leads North Laurel 2-0 in the second.

No score in the first between Ryle and Greenwood.

* North Laurel answers with two runs in the top of the second, tying Lone Oak 2-2.

Ryle and Greenwood are scoreless in the second inning.

* Greenwood has taken a 2-0 lead over Ryle through four complete innings.

North Laurel leads Lone Oak 3-2 in the middle of the fifth.

* Lone Oak has rallied for three runs and is still batting in the sixth, now leading North Laurel 5-3.

Greenwood leads Ryle 2-0 in the sixth.

* Greenwood  polishes off a 2-0 victory over Ryle. Both runs scored on Aeron Smith’s third-inning double.

Meanwhile, Lone Oak leads North Laurel 5-3 in the seventh inning.

* North Laurel scores five runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 lead over Lone Oak.

The Jaguars were down to their final strike when Blake Johnson drove a two-out, two-strike, three-run triple to deep right field, giving the Jaguars a 7-5 lead. She later scored the eighth run.

* Lone Oak rallies with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge North Laurel 9-8.

Jacqueline Roof’s two-out, two-run double seals the win. Lone Oak will face Greenwood in Saturday’s semifinals of the losers’ bracket.

Early results from the Rawlings/KHSAA Softball State Tournament, being played at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro:

Lone Oak has jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Owensboro Catholic through one inning.

Greenwood has a 1-0 lead over Mercy, also after one inning.

Boyle County holds a 3-0 lead over Estill County, in the second inning.

North Laurel and Ryle are scoreless in the second.

* Boyle County has increased its lead to 5-0 over Estill County, in the top of the fourth inning.

North Laurel and Ryle remain scoreless through 5 1/2 innings.

Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

Lone Oak is on top of Owensboro Catholic, 5-0 in the bottom of the third.

* To the seventh inning, North Laurel and Ryle remain locked in a scoreless battle.

Boyle County leads Estill County 5-0 in the fifth; Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the fifth; and Lone Oak has blown out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth against Owensboro Catholic.

* North Laurel and Ryle go to the eighth inning in a scoreless showdown.

Lone Oak continues to lead Owensboro Catholic 7-0 in the fifth; Greenwood still leads Mercy 1-0 in the sixth; and Boyle County maintains a 5-0 lead over Estill County in the sixth.

* Ryle edges North Laurel 1-0 in eight innings, getting a two-out, full-count RBI single by Haylee Smith. Hannah Brumbach, who drew a leadoff walk, scored for the walkoff win.

The hit was one of only three allowed by North Laurel’s Megan Baldwin, who struck out two.

Winning pitcher Ali Crupper scattered six hits and struck out three.

* Boyle County closes out an 8-0 winners’ bracket victory over Estill County.

K.K. Davis held the Engineers to four hits, striking out eight.

At the plate, Davis went 3-for-4 and drove in a run. Lauren Richards had two of the Rebels’ 13 hits, drove in a run and scored three times. Hannah Miniard had a hit and drove in two runs.

* Down to its last out, Mercy gets a two-out RBI-single by Lauren Springhetti to tie Greenwood 1-1 in the seventh. Springhetti took second on the throw to the plate. She would have scored if not for an inning-ending diving catch in right-center by Brittany Graham to rob Ally Wildt of a game-winning hit.

Meanwhile, Lone Oak has closed out a 7-1 victory over Owensboro Catholic.

* Mercy loads the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Greenwood pitcher Elizabeth Moss gets a come-backer to end the inning. To the ninth, Jaguars and Gators are tied 1-1.

* Mercy, Greenwood still locked in 1-1 tie through nine innings.

Losers’ bracket games are underway: Nicholas County vs. Oldham County; Ashland Blazer vs. Christian County; Johnson Central vs. Green County. Waiting for the Mercy-Greenwood game to end, Scott County will face Bullitt East.

* Mercy is batting in the bottom of the 10th inning, tied with Greenwood 1-1.

Elsewhere, Oldham County leads Nicholas County 3-0 in the second; Green County has a 1-0 lead over Johnson Central in the second; and Christian County is up on Ashland Blazer 2-0, thanks to Jasmine Matchen’s two-run homer.

* Mercy edges Greenwood 2-1 in 10 innings.

Morgan Meyer led off the inning with a bunt single, then took second on Morgan Ellington’s single to shortstop. Jordan Vorbrink brought Meyer home with a walkoff single to right-center.

* Scott County and Bullitt East are underway.

On nearby fields, Oldham County leads Nicholas County 4-0 in the fourth; Christian County has a 2-1 lead over Ashland Blazer in the fourth; and Green County leads Johnson Central 6-0 in the third.

* Scott County scores three times in the top of the first against Bullitt East. The big blow is Michaela Abney’s two-out, two-run single.

* Bullitt East scores an unearned run in the bottom of the first to cut Scott County’s lead to 3-1.

* Scott County adds a run in the top of the second to lead Bullitt East 4-1. Maddison Mullin reached on a two-out single, her second hit of the day, then scored on a fielding error.

* Ashland Blazer is clinging to a 3-2 lead over Christian County in the seventh inning.

Scott County still leads Bullitt East 4-1, now in the bottom of the third; Green County leads Johnson Central 10-3 in the sixth; and Oldham County has a 10-2 lead over Nicholas County in the sixth.

* Christian County scores three in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead over Ashland Blazer.

Scott County increases its lead over Bullitt East to 5-1. Madison Mullin, now 3-for-3, ripped a two-out triple, then scored on Michael Luckett’s single.

Green County closes out a 10-3 win over Johnson Central, while Oldham County leads Nicholas County 11-5 in the sixth.

* Christian County’s three-run seventh holds up for a 5-3 win over Ashland Blazer.

Scott County leads Bullitt East 5-1 in the fifth, and Oldham County is up 11-5 over Nicholas County in the seventh.

* Oldham County completes a 14-5 victory over Nicholas County.

In the middle of the sixth, Scott County leads Bullitt East 6-1.

* Scott County bats around in the top of the seventh, scoring three times to take a 9-1 lead over Bullitt East. Madison Mullin drives in one with a single, making her 5-for-5.

* Bullitt East scores one in the bottom of the seventh, but Scott County comes away with a 9-3 victory.

Madison Mullin goes 5-for-5 to lead the Cardinals’ 14-hit attack.

Scott County will stay on the field to play North Laurel in an another elimination contest.

* Scott County and North Laurel are underway.

On adjoining fields, Oldham County and Owensboro Catholic are scoreless in the second inning; Christian County and Greenwood are tied 2-2 in the second; and Green County leads Estill County 2-0 in the sixth.

* Green County blanks Estill County 4-0 in an elimination contest.

Meanwhile, Greenwood leads Christian County 3-2 in the fifth; Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 2-0 in the fourth; and North Laurel leads Scott County 1-0 in the second.

* North Laurel plates four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 5-1 lead over Scott County.

* North Laurel still leads Scott County 5-1 through four complete innings.

Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 6-1 in the sixth.

* Greenwood has completed an 8-3 victory over Christian County.

Elsewhere, North Laurel leads Scott County 5-1 in the sixth, and Owensboro Catholic leads Oldham County 6-3 in the seventh.

* Owensboro Catholic holds on for a 6-3 victory over Oldham County.

North Laurel leads Scott County 5-1 in the middle of the sixth.

* North Laurel adds a run in the seventh, then survives a two-run rally by Scott County in the bottom of the inning for a 6-3 losers’ bracket victory.

In winners’ bracket games, Mercy leads Lone Oak 4-2 in the fifth. Boyle County and Ryle are just underway.

* Erika Downey goes 2-for-4 with three RBI as Mercy defeats Lone Oak 7-2 in a winners’ bracket contest. Winning pitcher J.J. Francis gives up two runs on seven hits.

In the other winners’ bracket game, Boyle County leads Ryle 1-0 in the fourth.

* Boyle County leads Ryle 6-0 in the sixth inning of a winners’ bracket game.

In losers’ bracket play, Owensboro Catholic and Greenwood are scoreless in the third, and North Laurel leads Green County 2-0 in the third.

* Ryle, held to one hit through five innings, rallies for three runs in the sixth inning to cut Boyle County‘s lead to 6-3. However, the Raiders leave the bases loaded.

Owensboro Catholic leads Greenwood 1-0 in the fourth, and North Laurel leads Green County 2-0 in the fifth.

* Boyle County adds a run in the top of the seventh, then retires Ryle in order to complete a 7-3 victory. That puts the Rebels into Saturday’s winners’ bracket finale versus Mercy.

In losers’ bracket play, North Laurel leads Green County 6-1 in the seventh, and Greenwood has come from behind to lead Owensboro Catholic 3-1 in the sixth.

* North Laurel completes a 6-1 elimination-game victory over Green County. Kailin Yantz and Emily Sears had two hits each for the Jaguars.

One losers’ bracket game is in progress, with Greenwood leading Owensboro Catholic 3-1 in the seventh.

* Greenwood also moves on, finishing off Owensboro Catholic 3-1.