Kennedy’s ‘big night,’ Hammond’s shutout lead LexCath to 11th Region softball title

Lexington Catholic’s Lydia Kennedy is hitting her stride at the perfect time.

The senior first baseman was late to join the Knights this season — seeing to her responsibilities with the basketball team — and worked her way up in the batting order. Fast forward to Wednesday’s 11th Region championship game, when Kennedy, now fourth in the order and both a second-team All-43rd District selection and 11th Region All-Tournament Team honoree, knocked in three of the Knights’ four runs in a 4-0 victory against Madison Central at Lafayette High School.

“I started there (fourth in the order) just here in the postseason, actually,” Kennedy said. “I started the season not even hitting. I came straight from basketball, so I’ve been working my way up through the lineup, and my batting average has gone up, as well. It’s working out.”

“Working out” seems to be an understatement, as Lexington Catholic (27-2) advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2022. Wednesday’s matchup marked the first time during the 11th Region Tournament that the Knights didn’t have to come from behind, and it was Kennedy who helped set the tone. Head coach Emery Emmert said she overcame a late, slow start to reach new heights.

“She’s just gotten better and better and better all year,” Emmert said. “And that’s why she’s sitting in the four hole now. … She protects some of our other big hitters. She was great.”

The Knights first hit the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning, when Kennedy batted in junior ace and UK commit Abby Hammond. Kennedy’s next at-bat was even bigger; she hit her second home run of the season in the bottom of the third, bringing in Hammond, who was intentionally walked all game — “You know, they walk her for a reason,” Kennedy said.

“I saw the pitch coming in and I was like, ‘Oh, she might want to swing at that one,’” Hammond said. “Off the bat, I knew it was hit far. I did not know if it would be out, but I knew it was going far. So I was running as hard as I could and I kind of looked back and I was like, ‘Yes, Lydia!’ I was so proud of her. She’s worked so hard for this moment and it was really fun to watch.”

Kennedy said she was “just looking for a pitch to hit” and praised her team’s balanced offense.

“There are so many girls on this team who can hit,” Kennedy said. “And today it was me, but every other day it’s somebody else. It just happened to be me today. It happened to be a big night.”

In the bottom of the sixth, seventh-grade catcher Aevea Mosley-Franklin singled to send center fielder Lauren Moore across home plate for Lexington Catholic’s fourth and final run of the game.

Hammond delivered in the circle, serving as the centerpiece of the Knights’ defense; she struck out 10 batters, throwing 86 strikes in 121 pitches and allowing just three hits in seven innings. She was named the 11th Region Tournament MVP.

Madison Central (24-6) was anchored by senior pitcher Cassidy Gentry, who struck out four batters and allowed four runs on six hits.

This is the third straight year Madison Central and Lexington Catholic have crossed paths in the region tournament; the Knights defeated the Indians in the quarterfinals in both 2022 and 2023.

Madison Central head coach Randy Hall said he was proud of his team’s fight, and its continued progress toward “getting Central back to where it had been many years ago” in a consistently loaded 11th Region.

“They kept battling,” Hall said of his team. “With Abby (Hammond) there, she’s just such a good pitcher, you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get to try to score runs. And we got a few hits, we just couldn’t string enough hits together to produce enough runs to beat her. Once they get three or four runs, they’re very tough to beat.”

Hammond said she and her teammates were “very excited” for the region championship.

“I love this game,” Hammond said. “We’ve been here four years in a row, and we were all super comfortable here. None of us were nervous. And I was super excited to get on this field, and so I think just that boost of energy and confidence behind our entire team was really key tonight.”

Lexington Catholic will face 10th Region champion Montgomery County (31-6) on June 7 at UK’s John Cropp Stadium in the first round of the 2024 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Softball State Tournament presented by UK HealthCare.

11th Region All-Tournament Team

Addison Watson, Western Hills; Ashlan Estep, Madison Southern; Karsyn Rockvoan, Bryan Station; Jorden Bowman, Frederick Douglass; Kendall Meade, Great Crossing; Ryann Livingston, Great Crossing; Jenna Wells, Lafayette; Kavery Myrick, Lafayette; Cassidy Hack, Madison Central; Cassidy Gentry, Madison Central; Reille Parks, Madison Central; Caitlyn Kelley, Lexington Catholic; Ava Emmert, Lexington Catholic; Lydia Kennedy, Lexington Catholic; Abby Hammond, Lexington Catholic (MVP).

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