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By John Henson
Sports Writer

On a night when outstanding pitching and impressive hitting took a back seat to defense, it’s clear the Harlan Lady Dragons are playing at their best at just the right time.
Eighth grader Jordyn Smith pitched a three-hitter and the Lady Dragons pounded out 10 hits on the way to a 9-0 victory over Bell County in the first round of the 52nd District Tournament on Monday. The Lady Cats tried to battle back after Harlan scored three runs in the first inning and six in the second, but the HHS defense would not allow it. Senior catcher Addison Jackson ran down three foul balls for outs while senior shortstop Ella Farley and senior third baseman Ella Lisenbee shut down the left side of the infield as part of a no-error night.
“Defensively, we played lights out. They’re determined. They are on a mission,” Harlan coach David Overbay said. “We put the ball in play real well the first couple of innings. We lost that little bit of zip after that. They made some plays. Any time you get a win in the first round of the district, it’s big. I’m proud of them. We’ve played well the last couple of weeks.”
Smith struck out six and walked one as she pitched a shutout. The top four hitters in the Harlan lineup had two hits each with Smith doubling twice while Jackson, Farley and Lisenbee added two singles each. Abbi Fields hit her second homer, and Ava Nunez added a single.
Adyson Scott led the Bell offense with a double and bunt single. Jayda Boateng added a single.
After giving up nine runs early, Scott shut down the Harlan offense over the last four at bats. She struck out three and walked two.
Bell finished the year at 12-14, but improved as the season progressed with seven wins in the last 10 regular season games.
“This season wasn’t just about wins or losses,” Bell County coach Kristan Saylor said. “It was about growth, grit and the bond we built as a team. That’s all you can ask for as a coach that we go to work and get a little better every day, and I think we did just that. I’m proud of our team and have enjoyed coaching them.”
Farley opened the game with a single and scored on Lisenbee’s hit after stealing second. Jackson’s hit put runners on the corner before Fields made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. Nunez dropped a single into right field for the third run.
The Lady Dragons batted around in the second inning, beginning when Addison Campbell and Gracie Hensley each reached on errors. Farley singled home one run, Smith doubled home two and Lisenbee singled in another run. Fields’ two-run homer closed the scoring.
Harlan (16-8) will play Harlan County on Wednesday at 5:30 in the district finals. It will be rematch of last year’s finals when Harlan won a 4-3 thriller at HCHS.
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Bell County 000 000 0 — 0 3. 2
Harlan 360 000 x — 9 10. 0
Scott and Womack; Smith and Jackson. WP — Smith 15-8. LP — Scott. HR — Fields  (2).