Lady Raiders fall in Russell County Tourney

Facing their first real test of the season, the Lady Raiders dropped two close games in the rain-shortened Lady Laker Classic Tournament held in Russell County on Saturday.

McCreary’s first match-up was against Mercer County, who entered the weekend with a 6-2 record.

The Lady Titans took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning, but McCreary cut the lead in half in the second. Cyndol Kiser led off with a double, and would score on a Shadonna Boyatt sacrifice fly.

Mercer added four runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead.

A Hayley Jones two-run homer in their half of the third cut the lead in half again, pulling McCreary to within three of the lead, 6-3.

Mercer scored what would be the winning runs in the fourth, adding two more on an error, a single and a passed ball to go ahead 8-3.

McCreary would add single runs in the last three innings to close the gap, but fell short by a final score of 8-6.

In the second game of the afternoon, McCreary took on the Lady Cardinals of George Rogers Clark in another tight game.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the sixth, McCreary tied the game on an Emily Simpson single, scoring Kiser who slid under the tag at the plate.

In the bottom of the inning the Cardinals broke out for a three-run rally, putting the game out of reach for the Lady Raiders.

The Lady Raiders are in action again next Tuesday when they host Southwestern.