Thursday evening, South Warren High of Bowling Green, Ky. was tabbed the No. 1 softball team in the Line Drive SUPER 70 National High School Rankings, but there was a strong chance that the Spartans’ unblemished record would take a hit Friday night on the team’s home field.

That’s because the top team in Kentucky, undefeated with a 26-0 record, hosted the top team in Tennessee, Green Hill High of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. which entered the evening’s contest ranked No. 22 nationally with a stellar 31-1 record—the only defeat coming in the team’s third game of the season.

Something would have to give in this well-timed match-up featuring two of the best prep teams in the country… and wouldn’t you know one of the heroes would be an eighth grader who hit her first varsity home run in the game?

Green Hill jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first which would hold until the bottom of the second when eighth grader outfielder Caley Kuzma smacked a momentum-shifting three run home run to put the Spartans ahead 3-2.

South Warren pushed the lead to 5-2 with single runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings as senior Layla Ogden cracked an RBI double and Maclain Hudson added a solo home run—her 20th of the season—to give the Spartans a three-lead.

But that almost wasn’t enough as Green Hill—one of the top offensive teams in the country—made it a one-run game in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs to make the lead 5-4, but starting pitcher Courtney Norwood would make it stand up as she shut down the Tennessee powerhouse with a scoreless top of the seventh.

Here are video highlights of the one-run win by South Warren courtesy of The Sporting Times in Bowling Green, Ky.

The Hawks outhit the Spartans 8-to-6 but Norwood, last year’s Kentucky Gatorade State Player of the Year and a Univ. of Kentucky signee, was able to secure the win giving up the four earned runs with eight strikeouts versus just two walks.

In difficult rain-soaked conditions at times, Norwood delivered a complete-game performance to earn the win despite working through constant pressure.  

She ran her record to 14-0 with 111 strikeouts on the year versus just 10 walks while keeping opponents mostly neutralized with a .152 batting average against and a 1.32 ERA.

The Spartan defense closed the door late, highlighted by a flawless night behind the plate from senior catcher Kinleigh Russell, whose defensive command and execution anchored the win.

No rest for the weary, however, as South Warren’s team travels to Lexington, Ky. today for a doubleheader with games at 11 am and 1 pm EST against Frederick Douglas (Lexington, Ky.) High with a 12-6 record and Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) with an 11-5 record.

Scott County beat Frederick Douglas on Thursday by a score of 16-3.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media