Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

CHILLCOTHE — It was the wrong day to have a bad day.
Maci Conley’s perfectly placed squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Kaylee Courtright as the Piketon Lady Red Streaks slipped by the error-prone Coal Grove Lady Hornets on Tuesday in the Division III district semifinals.
The loss was tough for the Lady Hornets who battled back to tie the score in a game that saw them commit 11 errors. None of the runs in the game were earned.
Piketon took a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Cameryn Alexander and Graci Smith singled and both scored when Courtright was safe on an error and came all the way around to score on two throwing errors.
The Lady Red Streaks got a run in the second when Avery Reuter singled, moved upon a ground out and scored when Tylar Reno was safe on an error.
The Lady Hornets scored in the top of the third when Kasey Murphy was safe on an error and Lauren Meyer and Lauren Crum both singled.
But Piketon scored twice in the bottom of the inning.
Madi Conley singled and both Reuter and Maci Conley reached on errors.
Coal Grove got a run in the fifth to trail 6-2 as Murphy singled, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Crum.
Piketon got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Courtright and Maci Conley reached on errors.
Trailing 7-2, Coal Grove (18-8) stormed back with a clutch five-run rally with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Amaya Waulk reached on an error and scored on Murphy’s two-out double. Meyer and Gracie Riley both singled, Crum was safe on an error and Mckenzie Moore and Ali Waller singled.
Coal Grove went out in order in the top of the seventh to set up the winning rally.
Courtright and Madi Conley both reached on errors and Reuter singled to load the bases. Maci Conley pushed a bunt just past the pitcher to score Courtright.
Coal Grove had 12 hits with Murphy going 2-5 with a double and an RBI, Meyer 2-4 with a triple and an RBI, Crum 2-4 with an RBI, and Waller and Waulk were 2-4.
Reuter was 2-4 for the Lady Red Streaks.
Piketon will now play at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the district finals against Wellston who outscored Chillicothe Huntington 12-11.
Coal Grove    001    015    0    =    7    12    11
Piketon    312    010    1    =    8    9    5
Kasey Murphy and Lauren Crum. Cameryn Alexander and Maci Conley. W-Alexander (K-9, BB-11, ER-0). L-Murphy (K-6, BB-0, ER-0). Hitting-CG: Kasey Murphy 2-5 2B RBI, Lauren Meyer 2-4 3B RBI, Gracie Riley 1-4 RBI, Lauren Crum 2-4 RBI, Mckenzie Moore 1-3 2-RBI, Ali Waller 2-4, Amaya Waulk 2-4; Piketon: Cameryn Alexander 1-4, Kennedy Cooper 1-4, Graci Smith 1-4 Kaylee Courtright 1-4 2B, Madi Conley 1-4, Avery Reuter 2-4, Maci Conley 1-4 RBI, 1 1-3.