Despite going 0-4 in district play in the regular season, Hancock County baseball jumped all over Breckinridge County early and, after numerous rain delays, held on to a 7-1 win. In the 11th District Championship, the Hornets ran out of steam, falling to Meade County 10-0.
Despite the loss, the Hornets have punched their ticket to the 3rd Region Tournament.
“Meade County was ready to play,” Hancock County Head Coach Tony Banta said. “Rhodes threw very well and they hit the ball throughout the order. Congratulations to them, and they have a nice squad.”
The Hornets had little answer for the Green Wave’s Grayson Rhodes, mustering just three hits against the senior – Landis Pate singled in the second, Dylan Mucker singled in the fourth, and Porter Hay doubled in the sixth.
After two scoreless innings by both teams, the Green Wave opened up the floodgates in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs, and adding three runs in the fourth, and three in the sixth to enact the mercy rule.
The Hornets Porter Hay shoved on the mound the night before, striking out eight over 4 2/3 shutout innings to help Hancock County punch their ticket to the 3rd Region Tournament. Colten Severs and Pate both drove in a pair of runs, and Hay went 2-4.
“I am really excited for our kids,” Banta said. “Breck is a solid program, and to beat them and advance is huge for our program. We are finally healthy, and Porter Hay is capable of beating most teams. We also have a couple of the better players around our area in Jack Roberts and Dylan Mucker.”
