Lady Hornet pitcher makes Metcalfe County softball strikeout history
EDMONTON, Ky. – If you’re a fan of baseball or softball, you know that tossing a perfect game or no-hitter is a remarkable feat.
For one young softball star at Metcalfe County High School, that was just a sidebar for a historic game where she struck out 20 of 21 opposing hitters at Red Boiling Springs High School.
“She’s a leader, vocal leader. She leads our cheers, she’s high energy, and I think that just speaks volumes for her work ethic,” Metcalfe County softball head coach Deena Hurt said.
Leadership normally comes from either experienced players or upperclassmen on a roster, but Rory Bragg is an eighth grader in just her second season with Metcalfe County softball.
She fulfills all the qualities of someone who leads both in her actions and her performance efforts, no matter of if it’s a record-setting night or just another game on the calendar.
“I thought that it was really crazy. We had lost four games before, and going into the game, I was thinking, ‘something’s got to change here, we’ve got to do something,’ so it was just really good. It was a good time,” Bragg said.
A ‘good time’ puts the night of March 26 lightly, 20 punch outs later, Bragg etched her name into the high school history books, a building of which she doesn’t even attend yet.
“I was just normal, I was just thinking, ‘well, it’s going good’,” Bragg said.
“Everything went right. It’s not like I can just point to something and say, ‘that was great,’ it was just one of those nights,” Metcalfe County softball assistant coach, and Rory’s father, Daniel Bragg said.
Her dad recently joined the Lady Hornet coaching staff, and he knows better than anyone else of how Rory, regardless of her age, comes to compete with anybody on any given night.
“That’s a great mindset to have. You have to think ‘I’m the best there is’ when you’re doing your job and then be humble when you step out of that circle. She’s really good at that,” Daniel said.
“Our program has had some great success in the past, and the past few years, we’ve just had three wins, six wins, and so we’re just kind of rebuilding,” Hurt said. “For her to give us that kind of momentum is really exciting. I think the team’s rallied around her, they’re playing great defense. We’re starting to get good hits and we’re in a good spot, all led by Rory’s energy.”
