Montgomery County didn’t need a dramatic finish or late-game heroics. One explosive inning, a five-run fifth, carried the Indians past Campbell County 5-2 in the 10th Region tournament semifinals Wednesday night on the Camels’ home field.
For four innings, Campbell appeared in full control.
They opened a 2-0 lead behind five hits and two RBI from Nate Delaney. Senior pitcher Zach Franzen dominated early, striking out six over the first three innings while keeping Montgomery off balance.
The fifth changed the tone.
A string of timely hits cracked open the opportunity, capped by a three-run home run to left from the Indians’ Brayden Dore. A two-run hole became a three-run lead, and the momentum never shifted back.
“It takes one game,” Montgomery County head coach Sam Sutton said. “That’s the beautiful thing about postseason baseball in Kentucky. It takes one game. They might be better than you nine times out of 10, but that one game can matter.”
Campbell County never found an answer. The bats quieted. The defense faltered for the first time all night. Franzen still gave the Camels everything he had with a complete game effort that included eight strikeouts, one walk, and only four hits allowed.
“I mean, that kid had a great at-bat and put a good swing on the ball,” Campbell County head coach Scott Schweitzer said. “Zach has been lights out all year, especially over his last four starts. He’s been my guy. When I went out and talked with him, I’m like, we got bases loaded. You got the nine hitter up. Let’s get this guy. Let’s attack. Kudos to Montgomery County. They did what they had to do to get the runs in.”
Montgomery’s sophomore pitcher Evan Copher matched Franzen’s toughness. He allowed six hits across seven innings. After the fourth, the Camels never got a runner past first base.
“Obviously, we weren’t hitting very well early. Evan Copher kept us in the game,” Sutton said. “He did an amazing job. A couple timely hits, and then a three-run homerun by Brayden Dore. That’s really all it takes. I’m proud of our guys, the way they continued to keep that momentum going.”
Campbell County’s (26-11-1) season ends one game short of the region final.
“We’ve talked very little about the game,” Schweitzer said. “These kids have created a legacy here. These five seniors have been with me for five years. Carson Clark’s been a three-year starter in center field. Zach Franzen has been just unbelievable, and pitched in all kinds of big games and done all kinds of great things for our program.”
Moments after the loss, what mattered most had nothing to do with the scoreboard.
“It started 15 years ago,” Schweitzer said. “One of my favorite things that I’ve seen is the number of former players that came back. I got guys 10 years graduated, come back to watch us play. That culture was created by those guys, and they’ve passed it on.”
The Camels say goodbye to five seniors: Zach Franzen, Carson Clark, Nate Delaney, Jack Hundemer, and team manager Evan Clutter. Delaney earned all-tournament honors along with junior Tyler Schumacher.
Montgomery County advances to face Harrison County in Thursday night’s 10th Region championship at 6 p.m. in Claryville.
INDIANS 5, CAMELS 2
CAMPBELL COUNTY — 101-000-0 — 2-6-1
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — 000-050-x — 5-4-0
RBI — (CC) Delaney 2 (MC) Dore 3, J. Caba, Mays
2B — (CC) Clark
HR — (MC) Dore
WP — Copher. LP — Franzen.
Records: Campbell County 26-11-1, Montgomery County 20-14