Leading 1-0 in the second, Destinee Jenkins stepped to the plate with two runners on base. With the swing of bat, she launched the ball over the fence for a three-run homer that set the tone for the night.

Harlan County ended the game with a 9-0 victory that extended their district record to 2-1 on the year. For Middlesboro, the loss ended a five-game winning streak that spanned back to March 27.

“At the plate lately, we’ve not been getting key hits. I think Middlesboro had a few miscues there,” said Harlan County coach Tim McElyea. “Destinee (Jenkins) has been getting on it lately and hit the bomb. That definitely helped us.

“Our defense played well tonight. We knew Middlesboro had some good games hitting, and our defense played well tonight. (Destinee) pitched a shutout and threw the ball well.”

Harlan County performed at the plate, tallying 12 hits. Jenkins paced the team going 2-for-4 with a home run and single. Kacie Russell was consistent during the game, finishing with three hits. Lainey Cox had two doubles. Regan Caudill added two singles. Emily Long, Brandy Adams, Nikki Creech and T.C. Somersall had one single each. Adams and Cox led the team in runs, finishing with two and three runs, respectively.

After several games of solid hitting, the Lady Jackets were ice cold at the plate tallying only two hits. Megan Gent reached on a single in the fourth, and Brooke Foister hit a double in the seventh.

“We didn’t make plays when we had to,” said Middlesboro coach Petie Gilbert. “Harlan County’s a good ball team. We just have to be ready to play every game. It doesn’t get any easier. We have a tough schedule coming up, so we’ve got to be ready to play.”

Harlan County got things going in the second inning. With two outs on the board, an error allowed Adams to cross home plate to give the Lady Bears a 1-0 lead. Jenkins’ three-run homer extended the lead to 4-0.

After another quick at-bat for Middlesboro, Harlan County went back to work at the plate. Adams scored on a passed ball to widen the margin to 5-0 before Cox and Regan Caudill scored to balloon the lead to seven runs.

An RBI double to center field by T.C Sommersall gave Harlan County an 8-0 lead in the fourth. She eventually scored on an RBI single by Caudill to secure the nine-run victory for the Lady Bears.

Up Next

Middlesboro (7-3) will host North Laurel (11-7) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Harlan County (9-5) is slated to host Clay County (14-0) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

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Harlan County 043 200 0 — 9 12 0

Middlesboro 000 000 0 — 0 1 2

Jenkins and Long; McCullough, Mink (5) and Marcum. WP — Jenkins (8-4). LP — McCullough.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN.