A pop fly in foul territory near third base set the tone for this battle between two 9th Region contending baseball teams in the top of the second inning.
With two out, the Beechwood Tigers (11-1 overall) loaded the bases at Highland Park against the Highlands Bluebirds (9-4). Beechwood senior center fielder Brett Holladay worked the count full against Highlands sophomore pitcher Brody Benke (0-1) and hit that foul ball. But Highlands did not catch it.
Holladay eventually drew a walk scoring senior Samuel Cottengim. The Tigers wound up scoring six unearned runs in that inning off four Bluebirds errors on their way to a 12-2 win.
Beechwood junior pitcher Mitchell Berger struck the huge blow in that second inning with a three-run home run scoring junior pinch runner Nazario Pangallo and Holladay. Junior left fielder Landon Johnson and junior right fielder Cameron Boyd scored on Highlands errors.
Both teams lost Friday. Beechwood lost 11-7 at Conner for its lone loss this season and Hilliard (Ohio) Darby run-ruled Highlands, 16-1 in five innings.
“That’s one great thing about baseball,” said Kevin Gray, Beechwood Head Coach. “You come back the next day and get right back at it. In football, you have to wait seven days.”
Berger finished 2 for 3 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored. Berger (4-0) also picked up the pitching win going five innings striking out 10 to go with three hits and one earned run. Junior Matthew Kappes pitched the last two innings striking out two and allowing three hits and one earned run.
“It was all about working toward the All A Sectional game,” Gray said. “We had to throw Berger. We had him on a pitch count. Matthew Kappes knew he’d throw a few innings. We also want to make sure we have (junior) Sam Stacy available.”
Beechwood finished with 10 unearned runs off six Highlands errors. The Bluebirds did not score any unearned runs off the one Tiger error.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to playing catch,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “One of the simplest things you do in baseball is just catch it and throw it. We have to be better at that.”
Beechwood batted .333 (11 for 33) in the win. Boyd finished 2 for 3 with two doubles and one run scored. Senior first baseman Tanner Jackson went 2 for 4 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored. Junior shortstop Ben Meier went 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. Sophomore Shawn Sowder added a double.
“We struggled a bit at the plate (against Conner). Five through nine wasn’t hitting too well,” Jackson said. “Personally, I wasn’t hitting too well so it was time to come off the slump. We came out focused. We knew we had to get this win. We came out with a little more heat than we did (Friday). We got up on Conner early (4-1). But we took our foot off the pedal. We knew that was something we had to fix.”
Pangallo ran for junior catcher Brice Estep twice before taking over in left later in the game for Beechwood. Pangallo scored three runs in the game.
“It’s all about getting those good reads (on the bases),” Pangallo said. “(The coaches) teach us before the play to look around and see where everyone is at. You can tell right off the bat whether you should be going or not. Coach Gray does a great job of sending you, not sending you. We just did our job.”
It helps Beechwood has to go against Estep in practice. Pangallo said you will get thrown out if you lean too far off bases against Estep.
No one had more than one hit for Highlands. Senior first baseman Ryne Wiseman homered in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Beechwood lead to 8-1 and senior Jack Schneider doubled home junior pinch runner Brennan Kelsay in the bottom of the sixth. Beechwood led 10-2 at that point before adding two in the top of the seventh.
Jackson doubled in Berger and Pangallo in the top of the fourth to put Beechwood up 8-0. The Tigers went up 10-1 in the top of the sixth. Sowder scored on a senior Jackson Roseburrough sacrifice fly before Jackson scored on a Meier double.
The two runs in the top of the seventh started when Beechwood loaded the bases. Sophomore Michael Detzel then singled in Pangallo. Freshman Matthew Cottengim then scored on a Highlands error.
Baioni noted people a lot of people donated money for Pediatric Cancer research. One young patient threw out the first pitch.
Both teams play again Monday at 5 p.m. Beechwood plays host to Holmes (1-13) and Highlands travels to Newport Central Catholic (8-3).
Baseball:
Conner Wins Doubleheader Games Against Madison Southern:
A day after the huge win over Beechwood, the Cougars (16-1) came back and took two from the Eagles (6-8) from the 11th Region.
Conner won the first game 3-1 scoring one run off the two Madison Southern errors. The lone Eagle run in the top of the seventh came off Conner’s lone error of the game.
“We had a little bit of a big game hangover,” said Brad Arlinghaus, Conner Head Coach. “The wind was blowing the opposite direction so it wasn’t blowing out. It was blowing in. We just kept trying to hit it out in the air. It just wasn’t working for us.”
Junior Ayden Lohr pitched the first six innings to earn the win. He struck out six and allowed six hits. Junior Brody Mangold pitched the seventh to earn the save striking out two and allowing one hit and one walk.
“Ayden Lohr kept us in the game on the mound and we scored enough runs,” Arlinghaus said. “Our pitching and our defense won it for us once again. When one phase of the game isn’t exactly working, the other phases have picked us up.”
Conner batted .269 (7 for 26) in the win. Senior shortstop Gage Testerman, senior first baseman Kaden Early and senior catcher Briggs Yuenger all went 2 for 3 with one RBI each. Junior right fielder Brayden Stidham scored twice with Testerman and senior left fielder Cody Crawford recording doubles.
Conner fell behind 6-0 in the top of the third in the second game. But the Cougars rallied to win 8-7. In the bottom of the seventh with one out, junior catcher Luke Hubbard walked and Lohr ran for him. Lohr stole second and sophomore Rex Richter singled to right scoring Lohr to win the game.
“There was a lot of ugly that went on out there,” Arlinghaus said. “But at the end of the day, their spirit, just their ability to fight, scratch and claw runs across at the end of the game (helped). We ended up getting another one. Any win is a good win. I’ll take an ugly win. It shows the character of that team.”
Madison Southern outhit Conner, 10-8. The Eagles scored one unearned run off two Cougar errors and did not commit any defensively.
Senior Tyler Parsons pitched the seventh inning to pick up the win for Conner. He struck out one.
Hubbard went 2 for 2 with two RBI and two walks to lead Conner. Senior Blaise Bowman also went 2 for 2 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
“Even when we’re down, the bench is always in it,” said Trevor Jordan, Conner senior. “No one really gets down on themselves because we’ve put up some good numbers this year. We know what we’ve done. We’re never out of it. We had positive at bats. We didn’t go down too quietly.”
Conner travels to Covington Catholic (7-6) on Monday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Dixie Heights Wins Twice:
The Colonels (8-4) ventured south to play two more games in the Harrison Memorial Hospital Invitational at Harrison County.
Dixie Heights bested the Lexington Christian Academy Eagles, 14-4 before beating Greenup County, 12-1. The Colonels run-ruled both opponents in five innings.
“It was two nice wins. We bounced back from the (5-3) loss Friday (to host Harrison County),” said Chris Maxwell, Dixie Heights Head Coach. “That’s always good. Lexington Christian is usually a strong program. They played some solid teams.”
Dixie Heights batted an impressive .545 (18 for 33) in the win over the Eagles (6-9) with five players recording multi-hit games. Junior catcher Ethan Bosley went 3 for 3 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Senior Brennan Staton also went 3 for 3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Senior Mark Dugan went 3 for 4 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs scored.
Senior Logan Wilson went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and senior Gabe Thelen went 2 for 4 with a double, three RBI and one run scored. Junior Brayden Runion added one double, two RBI and two runs scored.
Sophomore Brach Rice threw a complete game. Rice struck out four, walked three and allowed four hits and two earned runs.
Wilson threw a complete game in the win over the Musketeers (11-6) from the 16th Region. He struck out eight, walked one and allowed four hits and one earned run.
“(The Musketeers) were trying to do some things,” Maxwell said. “But we had a big second inning that took them out of some things. They only had 12 or 13 kids with them. It was a nice shot in the arm.”
Dixie Heights batted .519 (14 for 27) in the win. Senior Jay Flynn led the way going 4 for 4 with a home run, double, five RBI and three runs scored. Bosley went 2 for 3 with a double. Dugan went 2 for 3 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored with Wilson going 2 for 3 with two RBI. Thelen homered with junior first baseman Owen Lawrence adding a double and run scored.
Dixie Heights travels to Campbell County (8-6) on Monday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Scott 5, Ludlow 2:
The Eagles (3-11) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a non-region win over the Panthers (6-10).
“It’s positive because we ended up in the win column,” said Kevin Goins, Scott Head Coach. “We just have a lot of guys who don’t have a lot of varsity experience. We start three sophomores and they’re learning as they go. It’s not an easy schedule up here let along facing other teams from around the state. You just hope they keep grinding and they show up at the ballpark every day wanting to get better. By May, you hope they’ve figured it out a little bit.”
Scott swiped eight bases and drew 10 walks in the win. Sophomore shortstop Dylan Giffen stole two bases for the Eagles to go with one RBI and one run scored and junior designated hitter Leo Brown walked three times scoring once.
The Eagles batted .222 (6 for 27) in the game. Senior second baseman Hunter Blackburn led Scott going 2 for 4 with two RBI. Senior first baseman Logan Wiehoff walked twice.
“We’re trying to keep everyone’s heads up out there and trying to make plays,” Blackburn said. “We’re trying to do well defensively. Hopefully, we get some hits along the way.”
Sophomore Gunner Bleha (1-1) earned the win pitching six innings for the Eagles. Bleha struck out nine, walked three and allowed one hit and one earned run. Junior Casey Hilbert pitched the seventh inning striking out one.
“For the most part, (Bleha) was in complete control,” Goins said. “Offensively, we just didn’t have a good approach. We had too many lazy fly balls, too many strikeouts. That’s what we have to get better at.”
Ludlow had three errors to one for Scott. The Eagles scored three unearned runs to one for the Panthers.
Scott travels to Cooper (3-10) on Monday and Ludlow travels to Grant County (4-8). Both games start at 5:30 p.m.
Boone County wins one in Lexington:
The Rebels (6-9) finished 1-2 in games played at Lexington Lafayette on Friday and Saturday. The Generals forfeited the game Friday.
But on Saturday, Boone County lost 8-2 to the Henry Clay Blue Devils and 9-8 to the South Oldham Dragons. Boone County led South Oldham, 8-6 entering the bottom of the seventh.
Henry Clay (6-7) outhit Boone County, 12-5. Both teams drew six walks. Senior shortstop Jayden Wilson led the Rebels going 3 for 4 with an RBI.
South Oldham (5-11) outhit Boone County, 10-5. Boone County had eight walks and three errors to four walks and one error for the Dragons.
Senior center fielder Justin Huff led the Rebels going 2 for 4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Chris Henson had a double, two walks and scored twice. Senior Issac Vest walked twice and scored twice.
Boone County travels to Cooper (3-10) on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Campbell County Loses Twice:
The Camels (8-6) lost both games at George Rogers Clark.
Campbell County fell 6-4 to the Mercer County Titans (10-6) before dropping a 9-1 decision to the host Cardinals (9-9). The Camels led 2-0 after three against the Titans before Mercer County scored six in a row. Three Camel errors led to two Titan runs making the difference in the game.
Campbell County batted just .222 (6 for 27) in the game. Senior Jake Napier went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI. Senior center fielder Greg Vineyard homered scoring twice and senior Tyler Fowler tripled scoring once.
The second game saw George Rogers Clark score eight runs in the bottom of the first and never look back. The Cardinals scored eight unearned runs off three Camel errors.
George Rogers Clark outhit Campbell County, 10-6. Senior Zack Riley and junior Brayden Wells had doubles.
Campbell County plays host to Dixie Heights (8-4) on Monday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Louisville Trinity 17, Ryle 9:
The defending state champion Shamrocks (13-1) jumped out to a 13-1 lead. But Ryle (7-7) made it interesting with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Trinity outhit Ryle, 15-9 and drew 11 walks to nine for the host Raiders. The Raiders had three batters record multi-hit games. Junior center fielder Landon Sawyer went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI with senior Josh Furtado going 2 for 3 with one RBI and one run scored. Junior Keegan Flaherty went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI and senior Brayden Vice added a double.
The Shamrocks had four errors to three for the Raiders. Ryle scored two unearned runs to one for Trinity.
Ryle travels to Conner (16-1) on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Louisville Southern 3, Simon Kenton 1:
The Pioneers (9-6) lost a tough one on the road against the Trojans (6-9).
Simon Kenton had two hits in the game. One came in the top of the sixth when senior designated hitter Tom Lind blasted his third home run of the season.
Junior Gavin Riley (1-2) took the tough loss throwing a complete game for the Pioneers. He struck out five, walked none and allowed seven hits and just one earned run.
Simon Kenton plays host to Williamstown (4-9) on Tuesday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Cooper Loses Twice:
The Jaguars (3-10) lost two more in the Frank Bloom Tournament at Russell.
Cooper lost 16-9 to the Bardstown Tigers (7-8) before losing 17-16 in a slugfest against Russell (11-4). The Jaguars have dropped four in a row.
Bardstown outhit Cooper, 12-7 in the first game and had three errors to two for Cooper. Bardstown scored three unearned runs.
Cooper had one multi-hitter in the game. Senior second baseman Emmit Sipple went 2 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored. Junior Chase Gartner homered driving in three and senior Cameron Kuehn doubled. Sophomore Conner Robinson scored twice.
Cooper led the second game against Russell, 14-11 entering the bottom of the sixth. But the Red Devils scored six runs to go up 17-14 and the Jaguars scored just two in the top of the seventh.
Russell outhit Cooper, 13-11. The Jaguars saw three players record multi-hit games. Senior Corbin Fletcher went 3 for 5 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Junior James Crowe went 2 for 5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Senior Jake Jennings went 2 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
Gartner and junior Trevor Ollier had doubles. Gartner scored twice and walked twice with Ollier walking three times to go with two RBI and two runs scored. Robinson and sophomore Mark Nowak added two runs.
Both teams committed four errors. Russell scored seven unearned runs and Cooper scored two. Cooper drew 11 walks to nine for Russell.
Cooper plays host to Scott (3-11) on Monday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Softball:
Cooper Wins Two following Big Win:
The Lady Jaguars (8-3) hit the road for two less than 24 hours after handing ninth-ranked Oldham County (19-1) its lone defeat of the season.
But Cooper built off that win in the Lady Titan Triangle in Harrodsburg. The Lady Jaguars dispatched the Mercer County Lady Titans, 16-0 in five innings before defeating North Laurel, 9-4.
“It was a good learning experience to follow up a big win with a good performance,” said Rusty Scott, Cooper Head Coach. “We didn’t play spectacular. But we had a quality performance.”
Cooper started the day against Mercer County (4-7) with senior Amber Chaney throwing a no-hitter. Chaney (4-0) struck out seven. Mercer County had one player reach base on an error in the second inning.
Offensively, Cooper batted .452 (14 for 31) taking advantage of three walks and six Lady Titan errors. The Lady Jaguars scored unearned runs in the game.
Cooper saw four players record multi-hit games. Senior catcher Gweny Wessling went 3 for 3 with a home run, double, five RBI and three runs scored falling a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Junior center fielder Claire Poage went 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
“We put up a few runs here, a few runs there and kept tacking on,” Coach Scott said. “We did a lot of small things right. We finished the job, which I hoped we would do.”
Chaney went 2 for 5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored for Cooper. Senior shortstop Dylan Scott went 2 for 4 with three runs scored and eighth grade catcher Kat Furnish added a double. Junior outfielder Emily Schmeltz scored three times and eighth grader Ainsley Scroggie scored twice.
Cooper stole five bases in the win. Chaney, Wessling, Poage, Dylan Scott and sophomore second baseman Ava Scott stole one each.
The win over the North Laurel Lady Jaguars (10-10) went the distance. Senior Hanna Hollis (1-1) earned the win pitching four innings allowing five hits and one earned run. Junior Kendall Blau pitched the final three to earn her first save this year. Blau walked one and gave up two hits and no earned runs.
Cooper had three errors to two for North Laurel. Both teams scored three unearned runs.
Cooper batted .345 (10 for 29) overall with three players recording multi-hit games. Poage and Schmeltz both went 2 for 3. Schmeltz scored one run. Wessling went 2 for 4 with three RBI and one run scored. Blau batted in two with Chaney, Ava Scott and Dylan Scott scoring two runs each.
“I think we were all still pretty pumped up from (Friday’s) win,” Poage said. “We weren’t trying to go into it too cocky or anything. We just wanted to keep the same energy and get the next game rolling.”
Cooper plays host to Mount Notre Dame (6-0) on Monday in Union. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Boone County Drops Two at Home:
The Lady Rebels (5-7) dropped two at home losing to ninth-ranked Oldham County (19-1), 14-1 in five innings before losing 7-4 to Harrison (Ohio).
Oldham County outhit Boone County, 11-3 and scored four unearned runs off three Lady Rebel errors while committing none. Junior Kailey Richardson went 2 for 2 with a walk to lead Boone County.
The second game saw Boone County fall behind 5-0 before cutting it to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth. But the Lady Rebels did not score again.
Harrison outhit Boone County, 12-9. Harrison had two errors and scored two unearned runs off one Lady Rebel error. Boone County earned all four runs.
Junior shortstop Harper Kinman led Boone County going 2 for 4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Freshman Dani Wright went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI.
Boone County does not play again until Wednesday against Conner (3-5). Game time is 5 p.m. in Hebron.
Ryle Loses Two in Richmond:
The Lady Raiders (7-8) fell 6-3 to the South Oldham Lady Dragons (9-6) and 14-4 in six innings to the host Madison Central Lady Indians (11-1).
Ryle outhit South Oldham, 9-7. But the Lady Raiders committed three errors leading to four unearned runs and the Lady Dragons had none.
Three players had multi-hit games for Ryle. Sophomore pitcher Maddie Goddard and eighth grade right fielder Brooklyn Roland both went 2 for 3. Goddard had an RBI and Roland scored once. Junior shortstop Avery Parsons went 2 for 4 with a double and run scored.
Madison Central outhit Ryle, 14-9 and scored thee unearned runs off two Ryle errors while committing one. Ryle saw three players record multi-hit games. Parsons went 2 for 3 with a double and run scored. Junior Lerin Moreland went 2 for 3 with one RBI and senior center fielder Grace Morgan went 2 for 3 with one run scored. Roland, junior Grace Tranbargar and junior Payton Godfrey added doubles.
Ryle takes on Conner (3-5) on Tuesday in Union. Game time is 5 p.m.
Other April 16 NKY Baseball Scores:
Lloyd Memorial 12, Holmes 2 (5 innings)
Gallatin County 2, Holmes 1
Lloyd Memorial 5, Gallatin County 4 (8 innings)
Other April 16 NKY Softball Scores:
Milan (Indiana) 20, Calvary Christian 9 (5 innings)
Beechwood 18, Richmond Model 13
Calvary Christian 21, Bellevue 13
