Wow… just… wow.

In what has to be a candidate for the best high school game of the year, the No. 1 team in the Line Drive SUPER 70, South Warren (Bowling Green, Ky.) High, was in serious jeopardy of seeing the team’s season come to a crashing halt in the Kentucky High School Softball Playoffs on Saturday.

The Lady Spartans trailed several times in the nail-biter of a game against a strong Madison Central team that could smell the upset and see the end of the line for South Warren, which looked like it’s undefeated season and 42-0 record was about to end.

Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, South Warren turned to two senior leaders to deliver the season’s biggest moment.

Parker Willoughby, the senior third baseman committed to Ohio State, opened the frame with a stand-up double, putting the tying run in scoring position and bringing the winning run to the plate.

Next up, Layla Ogden delivered the knockout blow, launching a two-run home run over the left-field wall to complete the comeback and send the Spartans to Lexington for the state semifinals. 

Here’s the amazing clip which captures Ogden’s blast which just sounds like a home run… check it out (and notice the agony of defeat displayed by Madison Central’s infielders):

And here’s another angle of the hero crossing the plate and being celebrated by her teammates:

A final one from the press box:

The thrilling come-from-behind win means the team remained perfect on the season and punched its ticket to next weekend’s KHSAA State Final Four thanks to it rallying for a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory to improve to 43-0. 

Ogden finished 1-for-2 with one home run, two RBIs, one run scored, and two walks, producing the game’s decisive swing… on that will forever go down in Kentucky high school playoff history as one of the biggest homers ever.

Ogden was excited after the game, as you’d expect, and relates in this fun interview how she was surprised it was a home run!

Willoughby went 1-for-2 with one double, one RBI, one run scored, and one walk, while eighth-grader Kalie Kuzma continued her impressive post-season run by going 2-for-3 with one double and one run scored.

Senior Hadley Borders added one hit, one RBI, and one run scored as South Warren totaled five hits and eight walks in the victory. 

South Warren also received a pivotal defensive play late in the contest from shortstop McLaine Hudson, who took away a potential Madison Central scoring opportunity and helped preserve the tie heading into the Spartans’ walk-off eighth inning. 

Behind the plate, senior catcher Kinleigh Russell turned in another outstanding performance. Battling summer temperatures that played closer to 100 degrees in full catching gear.

Russell guided South Warren’s pitching staff through multiple pitching changes while handling all eight innings behind the plate. Her leadership and game management helped keep Madison Central’s offense in check throughout the afternoon. 

In the circle, South Warren leaned on its dominant senior/junior tandem of Courtney Norwood, the Univ. of Kentucky-committed junior and Layla Ogden, the clutch senior headed to Western Kentucky.

Norwood got the start and worked 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, two runs, two earned runs, and one walk while striking out 11 on 94 pitches.

Ogden entered in relief during the fourth inning and tossed 2.1 innings, allowing two hits, one run, one earned run, and one walk on 43 pitches.

With the game still hanging in the balance, Norwood returned to the circle in the sixth inning and closed out the victory, earning the win.

Together, the duo combined for eight innings, allowing just three runs on eight hits while keeping the Spartans within striking distance until the offense delivered in the bottom of the eighth. 

The victory advances South Warren to the KHSAA State Final Four meaning it’s just two wins away from a state championship.

The semi’s are next Friday, June 12 at 3:30 pm EST against Ft. Thomas Highlands and with a win there the Lady Spartans would advance to the Kentucky State Championship on Saturday, June 13 at 7 pm EST.

 — Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media