Owensboro and Owensboro Catholic both grabbed wins in their respective matchups on Tuesday, while Apollo struggled in its doubleheader with a pair of losses to McCracken County and Ballard.
Owensboro vs Victory Christian Academy
The Red Devils had their best offensive performance of the season on Tuesday, winning 14-7 in an offensive showdown with Victory Christian Academy.
Owensboro got on the board in the top of the first to set the tone early, taking advantage of a pair of errors to take a 3-0 lead into the second inning. The Red Devils got going again in the top of the third, taking advantage of three more Victory Christian errors with a pair of singles and a double to take a 7-0 lead.
Victory Christian responded with two runs to try and kickstart a comeback in the bottom half of the third, but Owensboro rattled off seven more runs to take a 14-2 lead. The Red Devils went on to give up five more runs in the rest of the game, but they already had plenty of momentum and were able to walk away with the 14-7 win.
Sophomore Cayden Ray gave Owensboro a strong start, allowing two unearned runs on three hits, while walking one and striking out seven to get the win. Sophomore Blake Kimbrell led the way with three RBIs on the day, while freshmen Elijah Hampton and Evan Hampton, eighth grader Ty Ashley and senior Connor Hallmark all had one each.
The Red Devils improved to 5-3 overall with the win, looking to stay hot Tuesday against Northeast at 7:30 p.m.
Owensboro Catholic vs Union Grove
The Aces took advantage of free bases on Tuesday, earning nine walks while Union Grove had a pair of errors in the 9-7 Owensboro Catholic win.
The Aces were still within reach at 7-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, despite having surrendered just four earned runs thanks to a couple of errors. But Owensboro Catholic bounced right back, loading the bases in the bottom of the sixth and getting an RBI single from freshman Mason Moser.
A double play the very next at-bat cut down some momentum, but another run had crossed and sophomore Brady Atwell cashed in one more with a single to cut the Aces deficit to 7-6 heading into the sixth inning. Owensboro Catholic didn’t skip a beat in the bottom of the sixth either, loading the bases once again and scoring two runs quickly on a walk and passed ball on the same pitch to take an 8-7 lead.
The Aces went on to earn one more run via a bases-loaded walk, with senior Jamison Wall closing the door in the top of the seventh to earn the save and the 9-7 win over Union Grove.
Senior Thomas Eyre got the win in relief for Owensboro Catholic, allowing just one hit and one walk in 1 ⅔ innings pitched. Sophomore Parker Heistand led the way at the plate with a pair of RBIs, while Wall, Moser, Atwell and junior Houston Flynn all had one each.
The Aces advance to 5-4 overall with the win, getting right back to action with a doubleheader against McIntosh and Bethlehem Christian Academy at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
Apollo vs McCracken County, Ballard
The Eagles struggled offensively on Tuesday, getting topped by at least five runs in their doubleheader against McCracken County and Ballard 10-4 and 11-1 respectively.
Apollo seemed to be building some momentum for a comeback with a run in the top of the fourth, despite having surrendered three in the bottom of the third. The Mustangs had other ideas though, as a barrage of walks, errors, singles and a home run from junior Eli James led to a seven-run bottom of the fifth and a 10-1 lead.
The Eagles managed to get three more runs in the top of the seventh, but it was too little too late as they went on to ultimately fall to McCracken County 10-4. Things seemed more optimistic for Apollo in its next contest, going into the fifth inning tied with Ballard at 0-0.
The Eagles even got the first lead of the game in the top half of the inning, as senior Josh Mayes delivered a two-out RBI double that made it 1-0. The Bruins proceeded to take over however, scoring seven in the bottom of the fifth and four in the bottom of the sixth to win 11-1 in six innings.
Apollo falls to 8-4 overall with the pair of losses, as they will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they take on Calloway County at 3 p.m.
