The Marshall County Tigerettes picked up an important District win on Thursday night when they defeated archrival Giles County 9-7 in Pulaski to record their fourth straight victory over the Lady Bobcats.

Giles County came into Thursday's contest with a 2-0 record in District 12-AA play, but the Tigerettes cashed in on a slew of defensive miscues by the Lady Bobcats and appeared headed for an easy win after building a 9-0 lead through the first five and half innings of play.

MCHS (3-0, 2-0 District) then had to endure some anxious moments at the end of the game, as they watched Giles County score seven runs over the last two frames before hanging on for the victory.

Tough foe

"Anytime you can get a win at Giles County it's huge. With them having already beaten Lewis County, this was a big win," said Marshall County coach Holly Cook. "The past two games we've let up and stepped off the gas. I told the girls that we need to go in for the kill when we have a team down.."

Aided by a five run fifth inning, the Tigerettes finished with nine hits and two walks against Lady Bobcat starting pitcher Mary Beth Brumit. Giles County's defense did Brumit no favors either, as they committed six errors, which contributed to seven of Marshall County's nine runs.

Austyn Whaley spearheaded MCHS' offensive attack by going 2-for-2 with a homerun, 4 RBI, and two runs scored. Catcher Mary Kate McGehee also notched two hits, while Morgan Moyers added a solo homerun. McKenzie Anderson (1 RBI), Ashton Watkins (1 RBI), Katie Crabtree (1 RBI), and Mecia Reed all had one hit for the Tigerettes as well.

Marshall County starting hurler Jacey Perryman had to overcome four MCHS errors, but still went the distance in the circle to earn her second win of the season after allowing seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits and two walks. McGehee also helped Perryman's cause by throwing out two Lady Bobcat base runners on steal attempts.

Ali May (2 RBI), Breanna Summers (1 RBI), and Julie Pierce each tallied two hits to pace Giles County at the plate.

Opening statement

Moyers gave the Tigerettes a quick 1-0 lead when she belted a solo homer over the left field fence to lead off the top of the first inning.

Perryman worked around a two-out double by Brumit in the bottom of the first, before the Lady Bobcats left two runners on base in the fourth inning.

Marshall County then broke the game open in the top of the fifth by pushing across six runs in the frame on the strength of a leadoff single by McGehee, four Giles County errors, a Whaley two-run single, and RBI singles from Anderson, Watkins, and Crabtree to forge a 7-0 advantage.

The Tigerettes opened up a 9-0 advantage in the top of the sixth when Whaley blasted a two-run shot over the centerfield fence for the 17th homerun of her MCHS career after Moyers reached base on an error.

Lady Bobcats halted

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Bobcats plated two runs with the help of a single by May, a Brumit walk, an error, and a pair of RBI groundouts by Summers and Gowan to trim the deficit to 9-2.

Things got interesting in the bottom of the seventh, as Giles County crossed home plate five times in the frame with the help of a two-run single by May, a MCHS error, and a Gowan sacrifice fly to narrow the gap to 9-7. After Pierce doubled with two outs to put runners on second and third, the Tigerettes finally extinguished the Lady Bobcat rally when right fielder Madison Hargrove made a running catch on a foul ball by Leslie Sands to end the game.