The 9th Region favorite Beechwood Tigers baseball team (6-0 overall) only had one close game entering Saturday’s game against the Oak Hills Highlanders (2-1) from the west side of Cincinnati.
But the Tigers found themselves in their second one in the Mike Epplen Dirty Hat Classic at Florence Y’alls Stadium. Beechwood earned the 3-2 win over the Highlands. Oak Hills finished 17-9 last year finishing as Greater Miami Conference co-champions with the Mason (Ohio) Comets at 14-4 in conference play.
“It’s a game that we really needed,” said Kevin Gray, Beechwood Head Coach. “We’ve been hitting the ball, getting on people and burying them. Give Oak Hills credit. They’re well-coached. The pitchers threw the ball really well, kept us off-balance. We just couldn’t put anything together after that first couple innings. We knew it was going to be a tough one. But it was a really good win.”
Junior pitchers Mitchell Berger and Torin O’Shea combined to hold the Highlanders down in the win. Berger (2-0) threw the first four innings striking out seven, walking one to go with three hits and two earned runs picking up the win. O’Shea pitched the last three innings striking out four, walking one and allowing just one hit. Beechwood played error-free defense behind her.
“We just had to throw strikes and not walk people,” Berger said. “You’re not always going to hit the ball. But your defense should always be there.”
Junior catcher Brice Estep and senior first baseman Tanner Jackson made a huge momentum play in the top of the seventh. Oak Hills junior Connor Roberts led off the inning a single. But after a called second strike on junior Mitchell Felts, Estep fired one to Jackson at first to pick off Roberts. Gray said Estep can make those decisions at any point during the ballgame.
“It feels really good to know that I can have free reign and throw around the diamond,” Estep said. “(Beechwood assistant) Coach (Kyle Shoopman) and I have worked on that all year. We’ve been throwing to all bases and have gotten really good at it.”
O’Shea then retired the next two to end the game. He struck out Felts then got Oak Hills junior shortstop and lead-off hitter Bradey LaGreca to ground out to Beechwood third baseman Jackson Roseburrough.
“I was really proud of our pitchers,” Gray said. “Mitchell and Torin threw the ball really well and shut down the good offensive team (Oak Hills) has.”
The Tigers batted .259 (7 for 27) at the plate. Junior lead-off hitter and right fielder Cameron Boyd went 2 for 4 with one double and a solo home run to left field to lead off the bottom of the third breaking the 2-2 tie off Oak Hills senior starting pitcher Owen Ruch.
“(Oak Hills) is a good team. (The Highlanders) did pretty much everything well. Their pitchers were good and the fielding was good,” Boyd said. “The at-bat before, I had a bad strike-out looking on three pitches. I came back and the coaches told me, ‘If (the fastball up) is there, swing at it.’ (Ruch) threw it and I hit it. We started morning lifts recently and it shows. Our team is looking a lot stronger.”
Senior center fielder Brett Holladay and Jackson both went 2 for 3. Jackson had two doubles and one RBI and Holladay had a triple and one run scored.
Beechwood scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Holladay tripled then scored when Berger reached on an Oak Hills error. Berger stole second and scored when Jackson doubled to center.
But Oak Hills scored twice in the top of the second to tie the game. The Highlanders scored on a walk and drew a hit by pitch with the bases loaded before Burger ended the inning with a fly out to Boyd.
Beechwood played on the same field where the All “A” and 9th Region Tournaments take place. The Tigers own region championships in 2019 and 2021 and won the All “A” State Tournament in 2019.
Beechwood takes on Ludlow (4-6) Tuesday in the 9th Region All “A” Classic at home. Game time is 5 p.m.
Baseball:
Conner Wins Knucks Tourney at Covington Catholic:
Following their first loss of the season against Campbell County on Friday, the Cougars (8-1) returned to their identity of solid hitting, pitching and only had one error in both games.
Conner beat Dixie Heights (5-3), 11-3 before taking down CovCath (3-4), 12-0 in five innings. The Cougars moved to 4-0 against 9th Region opponents.
“They came out and were pretty focused. They came out swinging,” said Brad Arlinghaus, Conner Head Coach. “Pitching, which it has for most of the year, showed up again. They threw strikes. The defense made plays. I couldn’t be happier with the way they performed after (Friday).”
Conner found itself playing on grass again after playing on turf at Florence Y’alls Stadium. The Cougars also played Cooper on a turf field at Meinken Field in Covington earlier in the week.
Conner outhit Dixie Heights, 16-6 and committed one error to three for the red Colonels. Junior Ayden Lohr picked up the pitching win for Conner pitching the first five innings. He struck out three, walked four and gave up five hits and two earned runs. Senior Landon Schwartz pitched the last two innings allowing just one hit and one unearned run.
Conner broke the game open with three runs in each of the third and fourth innings to go up 7-1. The Cougars led 9-3 after six before scoring twice in the top of the seventh.
Senior Kaden Early belted a home run for Conner. He drove in two and scored one run.
“We had a rough game (Friday). We came out a little flat,” Early said. “It was kind of tough fielding the ball on that turf. We weren’t all too used to it. We had a huge talk about errors before the games and I think we made a statement by not making all those errors (Saturday).”
The Cougars had five players with multi-hit games. Senior third baseman Blaise Bowman went 4 for 4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Junior Jackson Bucks went 3 for 4 with one double and two runs scored. Lohr went 2 for 3 with one double, two RBI and two runs scored. Senior shortstop Gage Testerman went 2 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored and senior left fielder Cody Crawford went 2 for 4 with one double and two runs scored.
Dixie Heights did not have any players with more than one hit. But junior catcher Ethan Bosley doubled.
Conner then recorded its fifth run-ruling of the year against the blue Colonels and their fouth shut-out. The Cougars took advantage of seven CovCath errors scoring seven unearned runs. Conner led 5-0 after two innings, 7-0 after four then finished it with five in the top of the fifth.
Conner batted .286 (8 for 28) in the game. Testerman led the way going 3 for 3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Early went 2 for 4 with three RBI and one run scored. Lohr and junior Brayden Stidham scored three runs each and Bowman scored twice.
Sophomor Rex Richter picked up the pitching win for Conner. He struck out six, walked one and allowed three hits.
Conner travels to Scott (2-8) on Monday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Covington Catholic 6, Dixie Heights 1:
The blue Colonels scored three times in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
Senior pitcher Colin Gastright threw a complete game for CovCath. He struck out six, walked none and allowed one earned run.
CovCath batted .458 (11 for 24) at the plate. Senior right fielder Nicholas Darpel went 2 for 4 with one double, two RBI and one run scored. Junior designated hitter Max Lawrie went 2 for 3 with a double, one RBI and one run scored and senior first baseman Will Burke went 2 for 3 with two RBI.
Dixie Heights batted .276 (8 for 29). Bosley doubled and senior right fielder Mark Dugan went 2 for 3.
CovCath plays host to Ryle (5-3) on Monday at 5 p.m. Dixie Heights travels to Ryle on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Campbell County 5, Montgomery County 2:
The Camels (5-2) ventured to Mount Sterling and came back with the 10th Region win over the Indians (3-5). Campbell County is 3-0 in region play.
Junior Jake Gross (1-0) threw a complete game to pick up the win for Campbell County. Gross struck out three, walked none and allowed six hits and one earned run.
The Camels batted .280 (7 for 25) in the win. Senior catcher Austin Little and junior first baseman Braden Kramer both went 2 for 3 with one RBI. Junior third baseman Evan Clark scored twice.
Campbell County swiped six bases. Junior shortstop Aydan Hamilton stole two.
The Camels travel to Simon Kenton (5-3) on Monday at 5 p.m.
Boone County 10, Scott 3:
The Rebels (4-5) ventured to Taylor Mill and picked up the non-region win over the Eagles (2-8).
Sophomore Chris Henson started and pitched into the fifth inning for Boone County striking out eight, walking two and allowing five hits and an earned run. Senior Jason Williams finished the game striking out two, walking two and allowing just one hit and one earned run.
Boone County batted .344 (11 for 32) in the game. Henson went 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Rebels. Senior left fielder Issac Vest went 2 for 4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Sophomore second baseman/shortstop Jack Moore went 2 for 4 with one run scored. Senior shortstop Jayden Wilson and senior center fielder Justin Huff botth had a double and two RBI. Huff and senior first baseman Evan Warning both scored twice.
Scott batted .267 (8 for 30). Sophomore shortstop Dylan Giffen went 2 for 4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Sophomore left fielder Gunner Bleha went 2 for 3.
Boone County takes on Cooper (1-5) on Monday at 5 p.m. Scott plays host to Conner (8-1) on Monday at 5 p.m.
Highlands Goes 1-1 in South Carolina:
The Bluebirds (3-2) started off the Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach against two Pennsylvania teams. Highlands knocked off William Penn Charter, 11-4 to start the day.
Junior pitcher Ryan DeBurger (1-0) picked up the win throwing five innings. DeBurger struck out three, walked four and allowed four hits and three earned runs. Senior Ryne Wiseman pitched the last two innings striking out three, walking four and allowed one earned run.
Highlands batted .321 (9 for 28) at the plate. Junior Jack Hendrix went 2 for 4 with three RBI and senior Charlie Gorman went 2 for 3 with one RBI and three runs scored with senior Abe Hils going 2 for 4 with two RBI. Junior John Donelan had a double and two RBI.
The Bluebirds lost 3-2 to Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) in the second game. Highlands hit .250 (5 for 25) in the game. Wiseman had a double.
Senior Austin Eads (0-1) started the game and pitched into the fourth inning. Eads struck out three and gave up three unearned runs and three hits. Sophomore Zach DeSylva finished the game striking out two, walking one and allowing one hit.
The Bluebirds play two times Sunday. Highlands takes on Marshall County (8-2) at 11:45 a.m. and Chantilly (Virginia) at 2 p.m.
Ryle Splits with Bishop Hartley:
The Raiders (5-3) ventured to Columbus (Ohio) and split a doubleheader with the Hawks.
Ryle won the first game 6-4. Freshman Dylan McIntyre (1-1) started the game and pitched into the fifth innings. He struck out four, walked three and allowed three earned runs and three hits. Senior Josh Furtado finished the game striking out four, walking one and allowed three hits and one earned run.
Ryle batted .296 (8 for 27). Furtado went 3 for 4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Senior Brayden Stewart and sophomore Caleb Mann added doubles. Junior second baseman/third baseman Keegan Flaherty batted in two.
The Raiders lost the second game, 15-5 in five innings. Ryle batted .316 (6 for 19) in the loss and the Hawks had 15 hits. Furtado hit a solo home run and scored twice going 3 for 3. Junior first baseman Roman Furuta also homered driving in four and scoring once.
Ryle plays at Covington Catholic (3-4) on Monday. Game time is 5 p.m.
South Oldham 8, Simon Kenton 5:
The Pioneers (5-3) dropped a road game against the Dragons (4-7).
Simon Kenton batted .276 (8 for 29) in the game. Senior designated hitter/catcher Thomas Lind went 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run scored. Junior right fielder Ian Powell went 2 for 4 with a double and run scored with senior third baseman Riley Cross going 2 for 4.
Simon Kenton plays host to Campbell County (5-2) on Monday at 5 p.m.
Softball:
Even Split at Cooper with Hosts, Simon Kenton, Pendleton County:
All three teams came away with splits in this three-game series held at Cooper.
The first game saw Cooper (4-2) down to its final out with none on base against the Lady Pioneers (6-4) trailing 3-1. But the Lady Jaguars rallied to win 4-3.
Senior pitcher Amber Chaney drew a walk and junior third baseman Ashley Chaney singed her to center. Eighth grade left fielder Kaitlyn Furnish then drew a walk to load the bases before sophomore second baseman Ava Scott doubled to left scoring Amber Chaney and Ashley Chaney to tie the game at 3-3. Junior pitcher/right fielder Kendall Blau then stepped to the late and singled to left scoring Furnish to win the game for Cooper.
Amber Chaney (1-0) took over in the sixth to pick up the win. She struck out one.
Cooper batted .280 (7 for 25) in the game. Ava Scott led the way going 2 for 4 with three RBI and a double. Furnish scored twice with senior catcher Gweny Wessling and senior shortstop Dylan Scott recording doubles.
Sophomore pitcher Landrey Dance (3-2) took the tough loss for Simon Kenton. She struck out four.
The Lady Pioneers batted .200 (5 for 25). Senior shortstop Alexis Baker and senior third baseman Hannah Schwier both belted solo home runs.
Cooper fell behind 5-2 to Pendleton County (3-3) in the bottom of the sixth. But the Lady Jaguars tied it with three in the bottom of the sixth off Pendleton County junior ace Kayley Bruener (2-2). The LadyCats scored the game-winning run in the top of the 10th. Bruener wound up striking out 16, walking two and allowing five earned runs.
Cooper batted .219 (7 for 32). Wessling hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. Sisters Ava and Dylan Scott both went 2 for 4 with one run scored each. Ava Scott had a double and stole two bases. Dylan Scott stole one.
Senior Hanna Hollis (0-1) pitched five-plus innings taking the loss. She struck out one and allowed one hit, one earned run and walked one.
Simon Kenton pounded Pendleton County, 20-13 recording its second win this year over Pendleton County. Bruener did not pitch. But she played left field and first base going 2 for 4 with one double and two runs scored.
The Lady Pioneers batted am amazing .550 (22 for 40) in the win. Baker belted two home runs going 5 for 5 with two doubles, nine RBI and five runs scored. Junior center fielder Jada Johnson went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Emilie Young went 3 for 3 with three walks and two runs scored.
Simon Kenton saw seven players record multi-hit games. Dance went 3 for 6 with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Freshman second baseman Larkin Mitchell went 3 for 5 with one RBI and one run scored. Schwier went 2 for 5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore pitcher Addison Johnson went 2 for 3 with one run scored.
Seventh grade pitcher Lauren McIntosh (1-1) pitched the final four innings to pick up the win for Simon Kenton. She allowed nine hits and four earned runs.
Cooper plays host to Boone County (3-5) on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Simon Kenton travels to Highlands (4-8) on Tuesday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
Ryle goes 1-1 at Rockcastle County:
The Lady Raiders (6-5) split their games in the Where’s the Beach Classic.
Ryle beat Western Hills (8-2) in the first game overcoming four errors. The Lady Raiders batted .231 (6 for 26) in the win. Freshman catcher Laney Schuster led the way going 3 for 3 with one home run, three RBI and one run scored. Senior center fielder Grace Morgan went 1 for 4 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
Sophomore pitcher Madison Goddard (5-2) threw a complete game for the win. Goddard struck out nine, walked two and allowed one earned run and five hits.
Ryle lost the second game to East Jessamine (4-1), 7-2. Both teams had six hits. But the Jaguars had no errors to two for the Lady Raiders.
Sophmore Zoe Coop (0-2) pitched the first three innings before Goddard threw the last two. Coop struck out two and Goddard punched out four. Junior third baseman Payton Godrey doubled for Ryle.
Ryle travels to Conner (3-5) on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Highlands wine one in North Oldham Lady Mustangs Classic:
The Bluebirds (4-8) went 1-2 in the second day of the North Oldham Classic.
Highlands lost 7-3 in a time-limited five innings to the Lexington Bryan Station Defenders to start the day. The Bluebirds outhit the Defenders, 8-7. But two Bryan Station hits left the yard.
Highlands saw three hitters record multi-hit games. Sophomore center fielder Bailey Markus, senior shortstop Anna Greenwell and eighth grade left fielder/first baseman Kaitlyn Dixon all went 2 for 3. Dixon drove in one with Markus and Greenwell scoring one run each. Eighth grade catcher Payton Brown doubled.
Junior Carly Cramer started for Highlands before junior Kennedy Baioni took over in the fourth inning. The two combined for three strikeouts and one walk.
Highlands then handled the host Lady Mustangs (3-7), 16-1 in five innings. Highlands hit .406 (13 for 32) and took advantage of five North Oldham errors scoring nine unearned runs. Dixon threw a complete game striking out seven, walking none and allowing one hit and one earned run.
The Bluebirds saw three players post multi-hit games. Eighth grade second baseman Morgan Pompilio went 3 for 4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Brown went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored with Baioni going 2 for 2 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cramer doubled and scored twice. Markus and Greenwell also scored twice.
That brought a second meeting with Bryan Station (9-3). The Defenders won again, 10-2 in five innings outhitting the Bluebirds, 7-5. Both teams committed five errors.
Highlands used all three pitchers in this game. Baioni started and pitched into the third inning before Dixon recorded the last two outs. Cramer pitched the fourth. They combined to strike out four, walk seven and allow six earned runs.
Highlands only had one multi-hitter in this game. Eighth grader Cameron Markus went 2 for 3 with a double and Greenwell tripled.
Highlands plays host to Scott (6-4) on Monday at 5:45 p.m.
Harrison County 9, Dixie Heights 3:
Both teams had eight hits. But Dixie Heights (4-2) committed six errors leading to three Fillie unearned runs compared to just one for Harrison County (6-1).
Senior third baseman Bri Patsel led Dixie Heights going 3 for 4 with one double and one run scored. Junior shortstop Ella Steczynski went 2 for 4 with one double and one run scored with sophomore first baseman Skylar Mitchell going 2 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored.
Sophomore pitcher Riley Hopkins (3-2) threw a complete game for the Colonels. she struck out five and walked two.
Dixie Heights plays host to Rowan County (9-3) on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m.
Other April 2 NKY Baseball Scores:
St. Henry 11, Bishop Brossart 11
Lloyd Memorial 8, Bellevue 0
Pendleton County 16, Lloyd Memorial 14
Pendleton County 14, Bellevue 0
Newport 18, Holmes 17
Walton-Verona 12, Carroll County 5
Bluegrass United (Lexington home school) 6, Villa Madonna 0
Other April 2 NKY Softball Scores:
Mason County 9, Calvary Christian 2
Lewis County 10, Conner 0 (5 innings)
Holy Cross 13, St. Henry 12
Villa Madonna 6, St. Patrick 3 (8 innings)
Ludlow 22, Louisville Shawnee 14
Walton-Verona 18, Marion County 1
Collins 15, Walton-Verona 4 (5 innings)
Lawrenceburg (Indiana) 16, Beechwood 1 (4 innings)
