The bats for Paris started and stayed hot all Monday night.

Community R-6 vs Paris Photo Gallery

State No. 7 Community R-6 lost the Class 1 District 4 championship game on its home field in Laddonia 15-0 in four innings after allowing 13 hits to state No. 8 Paris. In the Lady Trojans’ first district title game appearance since 2020, the Lady Coyotes’ offense was way more unstoppable than in the teams’ previous three meetings this season. 

Community had the 2-1 advantage over Paris (22-6) going into Monday night. Granted, the games were decided by a combined five runs. The Lady Coyotes stayed hot at the plate all night, to the point they scored seven runs in the third inning, and head coach Kendra Murphy said there wasn’t much Community (21-12) could do about it.

“I would say pretty much their entire lineup had the game of their lives,” Murphy said. “Props to them. That’s what I told the girls. At least it’s not a situation where you can walk away and say that you beat yourselves because that’s what’s happened a lot this year.”

Murphy was referring to the several games this season when Community’s defense just couldn’t emerge from a rut. The Lady Trojans finished some games with as many as seven errors, but that was far from the case against Paris. 

Jocelyn Curtis had the Lady Coyotes in pitcher’s counts a lot of the time only for them to turn at-bats into base hits. This was the third time Paris has seen Curtis, and they made all that experience count with seven of nine hitters having at least one base hit. Sisters Emma and Kennedy Ashenfelter led the offense with three hits, and respectively, six and four RBI.

“They found every hole on the field plus some,” Murphy said. 

Community did have a chance to score in the first inning against Kennedy Ashenfelter. The Lady Trojans had two runners on, including when senior Amy McCurdy extended her hitting streak to six games. She and Chloe Johnson each finished 1-for-2.

“Our hits were going right at them,” Murphy said “They weren’t falling even when we were hitting the ball hard.”

Murphy added there wasn’t a dropoff in contact just because the championship game ended up lopsided. Community scored eight runs on six hits in an 8-3 win over Knox County and then 10 runs on 12 hits in a 10-6 win over North Shelby. 

Community was state-ranked much of the season as well. Regardless, Murphy kept telling the Lady Trojans she wanted them to play to their potential. Amidst the down moments, that wasn’t happening, but she could say the opposite during districts.

“They hit the ball well all three games,” Murphy said. “I thought we were playing much closer, we were pitching much closer, we were playing better defense so things were on the right track.”

A district loss is usually followed by some emotional moments in the dugout, especially from the seniors. Murphy said Community’s seniors deserve so much credit and praise for what they’ve done this season and in their careers.

McCurdy finished the season with a team-high 30 RBI, 52 hits, 14 extra-base hits, a .464 batting average and 1.122 OPS. Rylee Rafferty held a .406 on-base percentage while being the team’s leadoff hitter all season and led with four triples. But you can’t summarize their value with just numbers.

“They work hard, they show up every practice, they do what they’re asked to do, and they teach the game to younger girls,” Murphy said. “I love partnering them with the younger girls because they give good feedback and are able to grow the next group coming up. They’re great human beings.”

Even with a senior who doesn't have as much experience in the program as the others such as Aaliyah Welch, Murphy said her contributions were necessary to Community’s success. Sometimes, when the Lady Trojans needed a hit to spark the offense, Welch would provide that from the No. 9 hole along with playing a solid first base.

“Aaliyah, props to her for coming out this year,” Murphy said. “She could’ve easily come out and said this is for recreation and I’m just going to be here. She didn’t. She worked really hard in practice to get better. She turned into a major role player on the team.”

Murphy said the Lady Trojans this year can be known for their resilience and positive attitude. Dating back to the end of last season too when Community lost in the first round in districts to Clopton. Much of this group returned and closed this season better.

“I’m proud of them as a whole,” Murphy said. “They made it a fight. Things might not have gone our way on defense, but they never gave up or hung their heads. They kept batting and trying to come back on offense. Usually, our offense pulls through and comes back. They’re a great group of girls, and I’ve really enjoyed coaching them.”