There’s always a level of uncertainty when it comes to getting a baseball game played—but one thing you can always count on is Conner’s mindset: stay focused and locked in.
Despite a chaotic two days with the weather, the Cougars didn’t flinch. They wrapped up a 9-4 win over Cooper in Hebron, securing the No. 2 seed in the 33rd District Tournament and completing a season sweep of the Jaguars.
Gameday was anything but routine. After dealing with a rain delay the night before, the teams resumed their suspended game in the fifth inning—before the second contest was set to begin. Originally scheduled for Union, game two stayed at Conner’s field.
“Stay focused and locked in,” said Conner head coach Mike Hart. “We went through something similar last year with Cooper. Coach Sawyers and I laughed about it—it took forever to get that second game in. We did everything we could to avoid that this time, but the message to our guys stayed the same: “stay locked in.”
That message came through loud and clear.
The Cougars’ offense stayed hot, tallying 11 hits, six RBI, and three doubles while scoring three runs in both the third and fifth innings. JJ Bagby, Max Brunkel, and Grayson Wagner each recorded two hits, with Wagner adding two RBIs, a run, and a stolen base.
“You’ve just got to finish the job,” Wagner said. “You can’t control the rain, but you can control how you show up—and we came in ready to take care of business.”
Conner also got a steady outing on the mound. Starter Cooper Kelly went five strong innings, allowing just five hits and no earned runs while striking out six and walking two.
For Cooper, the issue wasn’t contact—it was control. Pitching struggles again haunted the Jaguars, who gave up too many free bases at the wrong time.
Jayden Duane got the start, striking out six over four innings, but gave up five runs and issued three walks. Cooper used three pitchers overall, but couldn’t avoid the costly free passes.
“Pitching is our big thing,” Jaguars head coach Robert Sawyers said. “We’ve got to find guys who can throw strikes. In the first game, Conner won 14-4 and they only had four hits—we’re walking too many and giving up too many freebies. That has to stop.”
Cooper’s best frame came in the sixth, when Evan Rice drove in two runs to cut into the lead. Ryker Campbell led the Jaguars at the plate with two hits.
While Conner took the regular-season series, these two teams aren’t done yet. The Cougars secured the No. 2 seed and Cooper landed at No. 3, setting up a postseason rematch in the district tournament.
Conner finished district play at 4-2, while Cooper closed at 2-4. Ryle earned the No. 1 seed, and Boone County took the No. 4 spot, who will play Heritage Academy in the opening round of the district tournament, the Eagles as the No. 5 seed.
As the postseason looms, Conner’s mindset doesn’t change. The Cougars split with Boone County and pushed top-seeded Ryle to the limit—beating the Raiders once and taking them to extra innings in another.
Locked in? You can count on it.
“We know we can beat all these teams,” Wagner said. “We just have to come out and execute, do what we do, and play our baseball.”
Conner (14-11) will have little time to rest before heading to Ohio to face a power in Moeller on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Cooper (7-13-1), meanwhile, gets a day to regroup before a Friday matchup with Bellevue, also at 5 p.m.
Photo Gallery provided by Charles Bolton:
COUGARS 9, JAGUARS 4
CONNER — 103-130-1 — 9-11-3
COOPER — 101-002-0 — 4-7-3
RBI — (Con.) Testerman 2, Wagner 2, Abousaleh, Bagby, (Coop.) Rice 2
2B — (Con.) Aguinaldo, E. Hall, Testerman
WP — Kelly. LP — Duane.
Records: Conner 14-11, Cooper 7-13-1