Huntland's Ashtyn Danley swings at a pitch during a game Wednesday against Oliver Springs High School. Danley had three hits, including a home run, two RBIs and a run scored in the 9-0 win.
Huntland's Ashtyn Danley swings at a pitch during a game Wednesday against Oliver Springs High School. Danley had three hits, including a home run, two RBIs and a run scored in the 9-0 win.
The Huntland High School Lady Hornets beat the Oliver Springs Lady Bobcats 9-0 at McKnight Park in Murfreesboro Wednesday in a second-round game for the Class A state tournament.
The Lady Hornets pulled away in the middle innings and rode a strong performance from pitcher Ashtyn Danley to a blowout victory from there as they advanced to the semifinals of the state bracket.
The Lady Hornets got their first run in the bottom of the first as Bailey Morris got hit by a pitch, moved to second after a walk by Ashtyn Danley, advanced to third on a Mattie Danley single and scored on a throwing error to make it a 1-0 game early.
After a scoreless second inning, the Lady Hornets put up five runs in the bottom of the third to create a 6-0 deficit.
Ashtyn Danley got the scoring started with a two-run home run to deep center field following a walk drawn by Morris. Jocy May got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in a run, and DeAnna Burton and Blair Finchum both hit into RBI groundouts for one run each.
The Lady Hornets continued to add to their lead in the bottom of the fourth with Ryley Brannon hitting into an RBI groundout, Kinsley Kilpatrick, pinch running for Ashtyn Danley, scoring off of an error on a ball hit by May and Burton connecting on an RBI single to put the score at 9-0.
The Lady Hornets nearly ended the contest in the fifth inning as they put runners at second and third with two outs while needing just one more score to trigger the mercy rule. However, a groundout would end the frame and extend the game.
The Lady Bobcats were not able to find any runs in the last few innings as the Lady Hornets wrapped up the win by nine.
Ashtyn Danley pitched a complete-game shutout for the Lady Hornets with nine strikeouts and two hits allowed for the day.
With the win, the Lady Hornets improved to 23-5 on the season.
They will next play Thursday against Eagleville High School at the StarPlex in Murfreesboro in a semifinal game for the Class A state tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Lady Hornets and the Eagleville Lady Eagles, both members of District 9A, have played each other five times so far this season with the Lady Hornets holding a 4-1 advantage in the series. However, the Lady Eagles won the last game between them by a score of 4-1 in the Region 5A championship game on May 18.
