Bulldogs down Lions in tourney opener

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LAPELThe Lapel Bulldogs cleared their first hurdle in the Madison County Tournament Tuesday. But in order to reach the finish line, they will need to play with more confidence.

Sophomore Chloe Bousman had three hits and drove in three runs and provided three strong innings of relief work on the mound as Lapel held off a feisty Liberty Christian team 12-7.

With the win, Lapel (3-2) won its third-straight game and will play host to Madison-Grant in the tournament semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Tuesday’s game started off strong for Lapel.

After starter Sophie Cline retired the Lions quickly in the top of the first, the Bulldogs batted around in the bottom half and put six runs on the board. Sophomore Kylie Rich started the inning with a walk and scored all the way from first on a passed ball and an error, and Bousman capped the rally with an RBI single for a 6-0 lead.

The lead grew to 8-0 in the second when junior Taylor Murdock drove in a run with a ground-out and Cline scored on a wild pitch.

Liberty Christian starting pitcher freshman Alayna Thomas settled down after the second, eventually retiring 10 of 11 batters. While she quieted the Bulldog bats, the Lions came roaring back.

Liberty Christian took advantage of wildness by Cline in the third. Thomas lined a two-run single to finish a four-run rally, which included three walks and a wild pitch from Cline, who would yield to Bousman after allowing another run in the fourth.

Lapel coach Scott Rich said the problem for Cline wasn’t ability but confidence.

“Sophie struggled there for an inning or two,” Rich said. “A majority of it is confidence. She gets down in the count and starts aiming the ball. Anytime you aim the ball, it never goes where you want it to.”

Lapel extended its lead with a run in the fifth on a single by Kylie Rich and three more in the sixth on a single by Murdock and a two-run hit from Bousman.

Murdock drove in a total of three runs to match Bousman, and junior Jasmine Hazelbaker added two hits and scored twice.

Rich said he hopes his team was watching the way Thomas handled herself on the mound in the losing cause. Despite falling behind early, the freshman bowed her back and kept the game close until late.

“The only good thing about tonight is that I hope they pay attention,” Rich said of his team. “I’ve been telling them from Day 1 about confidence, mental toughness and making adjustments. That girl in the circle for (Liberty Christian) is the epitome of that, and we were the opposite. As nervous as can be in the first inning, she settled in and found her groove.”

Madison-Grant advanced to the semifinals with a win against Anderson Prep Academy and were runners-up in this tournament a year ago.

“If we don’t get mentally tough, it will be a short game,” Rich said. “We’re a much better team than what we’ve shown, but they don’t realize that.”