Kevin Gray was understandably nervous Friday.
Beechwood’s baseball coach had just watched Covington Catholic catcher Jonathan Fitz’s seventh-inning grand slam home run clear the center field fence – a shot that closed the Tigers’ five-run lead to just one.
Four Chase Flaherty pitches later, Gray and the three-time defending Ninth Region champions could relax. Flaherty struck out Max Lawrie, who had homered in the first inning, to preserve the 7-6 win.
Beechwood (20-6, 3-0 in district) thus took a one-game lead over CovCath for the top seed in the 35th District tournament. What’s more, the Tigers are 7-2 over the Colonels since 2019. (CovCath leads the series with a 28-20 record since 2000.)
Gray’s stomach had of course not literally jumped to his right eyelid after Fitz’s long, far one, but he nonetheless remembered Beechwood’s loss to Sayre in the All “A” semifinals April 30 in Campbellsville.
“We were up, 5-1, in the seventh, and (Sayre) scored five runs with no outs and beat us 6-5,” Gray said.
Aside from the comeback showing CovCath could stay with Beechwood, Colonels coach Bill Krumpelbeck wasn’t sure anything positive could be learned.
“I don’t like to lose,” Krumpelbeck said. “I guess some people think you can gain something from a loss; that’s a matter of opinion. I don’t like to lose.”
The Tigers wouldn’t have been in position to win if not for senior Cameron Boyd and, Michael Detzel and eighth-grader Tyler Fryman.
Boyd’s two-run home run in the third off Bradley Zekl – Detzel was on first on a fielder’s choice – neutralized Lawrie’s blast and tied the game at 2-2.
“Fastball in,” Boyd said of Zekl’s pitch.
Boyd was 3-for-4 for the game, giving him a state leading 53 hits.
An inning later, Detzel’s two-run single and Fryman’s two-run double accounted for four runs.
If you don’t keep up with Boyd’s statistics, maybe you should. Friday’s home run was his 11th, which tied him with Breathitt County’s Andrew Combs for best in the state, and his two runs batted gave him a state-best 46, breaking a tie with North Oldham’s Chance Edmonds.
The state statistics are Boyd’s favorite things to read.
“I always like to stay on top, always like to play my best game,” said Boyd, who recently committed to University of Southern Indiana.
Flaherty, meanwhile, struck out five and walked none (he hit a batter) to improve his record to 4-1.
Beechwood second baseman Nazario Pangallo’s one-out single in the sixth scored Flaherty, who had reached second on an error. Pangallo helped set the table on the day with two hits in the leadoff spot.
Lawrie’s first-inning homer scored Fitz, who had singled.
“It would’ve been out of Great American (Ball Park), he hit it that far,” Gray said.
CovCath’s Tyler Rennekamp opened the seventh with a single, and Joseph Magary followed with a fly to center. Alek Yuskewich singled (sending Magary to third), but he was forced out at second on Charlie Dieruf’s grounder to third.
After Flaherty hit Jackson Reardon to load the bases, Fitz’s homer went at least 350 feet.
“I think (Flaherty) threw a fastball,” Gray said. “We were trying to bust (Fitz) inside, and apparently he laid it out over the heart of the plate. Fitz is too good to do that.”
Flaherty started Lawrie with a curveball fouled to open, fastball in ball, fastball low and away for strike two. Then, one last up and outside fastball, which Lawrie chased and missed.
“It was a little bit out, but not by a ton,” Flaherty said.
Gray said Friday was an example of how wide open the Ninth Region tournament will be.
“CovCath’s got a heck of a team; they’re always one of the top teams in the region,” Gray said. “I feel like we can beat anybody. I think this region this year is so wide open; you’ve got some really, really good teams and some really good pitchers. It’s going to be a fun regional.”
COVCATH — 200-000-4 – 6-9-2
BEECHWOOD — 002-410-x – 7-9-1
Zekl and Fitz; Flaherty and Welch. WP-Flaherty (4-1). LP-Zekl (5-1). HR-Lawrie (CC), Boyd (B), Fitz (CC); 2B-Detzel (B), Fryman (B).
