Thursday afternoon’s county clash between the Cascade Lady Champions and Communty Viqueens saw the Purple and Gold belt out 12 hits against the Lady Champs and rally for a huge, 9-3 win in District 7-AA.
It was Cascade who struck the first blow in the bottom of the second inning.
After starting pitcher Brianna Horn danced around trouble in the first inning and left a pair of Viqueens stranded on base, Community threatened again in the second frame and put a pair of runners on base with a single and a hit-by-pitch.
After once again leaving two on base, Cascade’s Ella Thompson reached on a Viqueen throwing error and scurried around the bases to third.
With a runner in scoring position, Hannah Vandriver smashed a two-run blast to centerfield, putting Cascade up 2-0 at the end of the second.
Community answered with a three-run third inning, jumpstarted by a lead off single by Carlie Blanton.
Blanton scored Community’s first run on a single by Chloe West and Haley Mitchell smashed a 2 RBI double to put the Viqueens up 3-2.
Cascade knotted the game at three runs apiece in the bottom of the fourth when Claire Perry ground into a fielder’s choice, scoring Vandriver from third.
While Cascade continually found answers at the plate through the first four innings, Community closed the game by scoring six unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Emma Bentley safely reached in the fifth on a Cascade error and worked her way around the bags to third.
She scored on a sac-fly by West to put Community up 4-3.
Mitchell added to her 4-for-4 night with a RBI single to plate the second run of the inning and bump the Viqueen lead to 5-3.
Community plated four more runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a RBI triple off Mitchell’s bat.
She led the Viqueens with a 4-for-4 night, just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
She drove in four Viqueen runs.
Carlie Blanton and Abigail Brown both accounted for a pair of base hits.
Cascade managed just three hits off Viqueen pitching, with Vandriver connecting on a two-run homer and a double.
Alivia Fannin singled in the seventh inning as well.
Senior Hailey Farrar got the start for Community and pitched two innings before Taylar Wessner took over and pitched the final five frames.
Farrar gave up just one hit and allowed two runs while striking out two.
Wessner was tagged for a pair of hits and allowed just one run to cross the plate, while striking out three.
Horn went the distance for Cascade and while Community connected on 12 hits, Horn struck out eight Viqueen batters.
Community will step out of district play on Monday and host Hickman County at 5 p.m., while Cascade will travel to Grundy County on Tuesday, before both Bedford County squads meet again in Unionville on Thursday for Game 2 in the series.

Community 003 024 0 — 9 12 2
Cascade 020 100 0 — 3 3 1

Community: Abigail Murrill 1-for-5, Carlie Blanton 2-for-5, Taylar Wessner 1-for-4, Emma Bentley 1-for-2, Chloe West 1-for-3, Abigail Brown 2-for-4, Haley Mitchell 4-for-4.
2B: Wessner, Brown, Mitchell
3B: Mitchell
Cascade: Hannah Vandriver 2-for-2, Alivia Fannin 1-for-3.
2B: Vandriver
HR: Vandriver
WP: Wessner
LP: Horn