South Warren softball cruises to 12-0 win in first state tournament matchup
LEXINGTON, Ky. – South Warren softball has been on a mission all year long, and Thursday’s first round matchup with Oldham County in the 2026 KHSAA Softball State Tournament presented by UK HealthCare was just another step in the direction of reaching the Lady Spartans’ main goal.
Senior backstop Kinleigh Russell got the scoring started with a two-RBI single in the first inning, and her knock was followed up shortly after by a Kalie Kuzma blast.
It was just the third homerun of the season for the eighth grade Lady Spartan, such a long shot that it had many in the stands, and on the field, wondering the whereabouts of its final destination.
“I almost wish there wasn’t a net there because I would’ve liked to have seen where it would’ve landed,” head coach Kelly Reynolds said. “I think it even surprised her. I think she was like, ‘Oh, wow,’ but she has been swinging the bat so well, and she has a great swing and just a bright future. She’s a tough athlete.”
“It was great. I was definitely, like, surprised, and I was like, ‘Well, heck yeah,’ because that’s only my third home run this year,” Kuzma said. “It felt really good off the bat, and I knew it was a good hit.”
After three frames, the team had grown its lead to nine runs, showing no signs of slowing down the offense that’s been on display all year.
Pitching wise, junior Courtney Norwood, a University of Kentucky commit, was stellar in the circle.
She struck out 10 Lady Colonels and allowed just one hit, showcasing another strong day.
The stat line is nothing new to South softball supporters, much like run-rule outcomes.
With Thursday’s 12-0 victory in five innings, the team has ended things early in 34 of its 42 wins.
“We’re feeling great. We came in locked in, we just didn’t want this game to be our last,” said Norwood. “We were just hyped throughout the game, and we had a lot of adrenaline.”
“Our offense is one of our main identities. We really pride ourselves on being able to score a lot of runs, scoring a lot of runs efficiently,” Russell said. “Just being able to do that again tonight, showcasing that tonight, you know, it’s just kind of who we are.”
“I guess if we’re not feeling the pressure, we’re not locked in and ready to play, you know? I think it’s just embracing it from here on out,” Reynolds said. “We’ve come a long way to get to this point, and this is what we’ve been after, and we’re just relaxing and playing South Warren softball.”
The team will now prep for the Madison Central Lady Indians out of the 11th Region with a matchup set for Saturday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time on the diamond at John Cropp Stadium.
