There was plenty of offense to go around on Thursday, as Daviess County defeated Nelson County, Owensboro rattled off double-digit runs in a shutout and Apollo scored a combined 30-plus runs in its doubleheader to grab a pair of wins.
Daviess County vs. Nelson County
In a back-and-forth affair it was the Panthers who prevailed, getting three runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure a 9-8 win over Nelson County to close out the Fort Walton Beach Bash.
An RBI single from sophomore Lake Wilson helped open up the scoring in the bottom of the first, but the Cardinals responded swiftly. Getting five runs in the top of the second, Nelson County had shifted momentum and taken a 5-1 lead.
However, Daviess County had whipped some offense of its own in the bottom half of the inning, getting its first run via fielder’s choice. Two batters later a run was walked in before Wilson hit a two-run single to knot things up at 5-5.
After a scoreless third inning Nelson County reclaimed the lead via a two-run double from senior Alex Byrne, before an RBI groundout from Wilson to cut the Panthers deficit to 7-6. The Cardinals made it an 8-6 game in the top of the sixth with a two-out RBI single, but Daviess County wasn’t letting up.
A single from senior Mason Boswell was followed up by back-to-back hit by pitches, quickly loading the bases with no outs. Junior Layton Huskisson proceeded to plate two runs with a single to left, tying the game at 8-8.
It was none other than Wilson who came through for the Panthers once again, scoring another run via a groundout to make it a 9-8 Daviess County lead. A day after recording seven RBIs, Wilson recorded five against Nelson County to go along with his 2-4 game.
Wilson’s RBI groundout was the deciding factor in the game, as junior Ethan Ahart and junior Cason Troutman shut down the Cardinals in the seventh to secure the victory.
Huskisson followed up Wilson’s day at the plate with three RBIs of his own, while junior Decker Renfrow also had one on the day. Troutman and Wilson led the way in the hits department with two each.
Junior Jackson Loucks didn’t have his strongest day on the mound, allowing seven runs—three earned—but senior Easton Williams, Ahart and Troutman did a fine job out of the pen, combining to allow just one run on two hits while striking out six over the course of 3 ⅔ innings.
After losing their opening game, the Panthers have won three straight to close out the Fort Walton Beach Bash and sit at 9-4 overall. Following a few days off to enjoy spring break, Daviess County will be right back to work on Tuesday for a district matchup with Owensboro at 7 p.m.
Apollo vs. Fairfax, North Bullitt
The Eagles opened up their doubleheader on Thursday with a bang, winning an absolute slugfest with Fairfax 13-10 thanks to a strong start.
Fairfax looked to set the tone in the top of the first inning by grabbing three runs, taking advantage of an array of walks and hit by pitches. However, Apollo didn’t let momentum swing towards its opponent.
Sophomore Will Strode got the Eagles first run of the day with a one-out double, before freshman Sam Holder doubled himself to bring in two and knot things up at 3-3. A double from junior Aiden Wells gave Apollo its first lead of the day, before back-to-back walks made it a 5-3 game.
Back-to-back RBI singles from junior Josh Mayes and senior Harrison Bowman ensued, before a sac fly from senior Nick Judd capped off the monster inning and sent them into the second up 8-3.
The Eagles expanded their lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to an RBI double from Bowman and a two-run single from Strode. Fairfax cut its deficit to 11-7 in the top of the fourth, but Apollo went on to grab a run each in the bottom of the fourth and fifth.
This helped them withstand a three-run top of the sixth for Fairfax, as freshman Grayson Smith closed the door with a four-out save to claim the 13-10 win. Smith threw 1 ⅓ innings out of the bullpen, striking out two while allowing no hits, runs, or walks.
Strode and Bowman led the way at the plate with a pair of RBIs each, while Holder, Wells, Mayes, sophomore Noah Cook and senior Dayton Brown all had one each. Bowman and Strode also tallied three hits each.
Apollo’s offense didn’t skip a beat in game two on Thursday, as they put on a dominant display by defeating North Bullitt 18-8.
North Bullitt tried to take control of the game early, scoring seven runs in the first two innings against juniors Charles Schneider and Cayden Crabtree. Apollo did get a run themselves in the bottom of the first, but it was in the second inning where they hit their stride.
The Eagles got their first run of the inning thanks to an error with one out, before Bowman singled to left to make it a 7-3 game. The very next at-bat Judd hit a sac fly, before Strode doubled to bring in two runs and make it a 7-6.
After North Bullitt got a run in the top of third, Apollo came right back with a big inning. A walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases for the Eagles, which turned into an RBI single for Cook.
North Bullitt nearly got out of the inning thanks to a fielder’s choice and a strikeout, but Judd was able to clear the bases with a two-out double to give Apollo the lead at 10-8. North Bullitt was held scoreless for the first time all game in the top of the fourth, the Eagles continued to pour it on with eight more runs to secure the 18-8 win.
Judd led the way with four RBIs, Strode and Cook chipped in three each, Bowman and Brown had two each and Holder and senior Tyler Payne had one each. Payne also had a strong performance in relief, allowing no runs on one hit, while walking two and striking out just as many.
Apollo’s winning streak extends to four with the victory, as they will look to stay undefeated against in the Cal Ripken Experience at 9 a.m. against Boyd County on Friday.
Owensboro vs. Fort Walton Beach
Getting a one-hit shutout from freshman Trevor DeLacey, the Red Devils poured in the runs for 16-0 win over Fort Walton Beach to close out their spring break tournament.
Owensboro applied pressure from the jump, taking a quick 1-0 lead on an RBI double from eighth grader Elijah Hampton. Two batters later senior Kindrick Williams singled to center to plate two runs, before a single from freshman Brady Benjamin made it 4-0.
After Williams scored on a wild pitch with two outs freshman Cayden Ray delivered an RBI single to make it 7-0. Ray then caused havoc on the bases, making his way around the diamond before scoring on an error to give the Red Devils a whopping 8-0 lead after the first inning.
Following a scoreless second inning Owensboro scored two in the top of the third, but it was the six-run top of the fourth that was the dagger. Pair this with DeLacey’s performance on the mound and the Red Devils grabbed a 16-0 win to finish the Fort Walton Beach Bash at 4-1.
DeLacey had Fort Walton frustrated at the plate, allowing just one hit, walking three and striking out six to pick up the win. Ray led the way at the plate with four RBIs, while Elijah Hampton, Evan Hampton Williams and Benjamin had two RBIs each and DeLacey had one as well.
Owensboro moves to 7-6 overall after the trip to Florida, as they will return to action with a road matchup on Monday against Henderson County at 5:30 p.m.
