By Rusty Ellis
GORDONSVILLE – The Gordonsville Tigerettes began their defense of the Class A State Championship with a 12-0 win over Clarkrange in the District 7-A Tournament on Thursday night.
“I thought we hit the ball well,” said GHS head coach Jonathan Bush. “We hit two home runs, and I thought Kailey pitched really well in her three innings of work. We just had a good game, offensively and defensively.”
Back-to-back doubles from Abby Brinkley and Kailey Plumlee plated the first run of the game, and a Makenize Herron groundout made the score 2-0 heading into the second.
There, Callie Dillard added on with her 15th home run of the season to push the lead to 3-0, and Plumlee’s second RBI double in as many innings plated her to make it a 4-0 ballgame.
Kelsie Watts had one of the biggest hits of the game, as her three-run homer capped a six-run third inning for the Tigerettes, as they cruised to the 12-0 win from there.
Plumlee finished with a flawless three innings of work in the circle, finishing with nine strikeouts. Dillard pitched an inning of relief to close the game, striking out one batter in the process.
Dillard’s presence both in the lineup and in the circle seems to have deepened an already-championship caliber team, as Bush says her production in both spots speaks for itself.
“She’s a big presence at the plate, she’s up to 15 home runs on the season and I think that’s tied for the top in the state in single-A,” Bush said. “You’ve got your two- and three-hole hitters in Kailey Plumlee and Kelsie Watts, who are both up to double-digits in home runs. In a Class-A program, that’s huge.”
As of now, Gordonsville is slated to play Clay County on Monday at 6:45 P.M., but Bush has already begun preparing for inclement weather to alter plans.
“How the district tournament is, we’re supposed to play two Monday, two Tuesday, one Wednesday and one Thursday,” Bush said. “We may have to push them all together, we may have to play several games to get it in. We’ve got a tarp so we’ll get that on soon, but you can’t ever tell about the weather.”
