Humphrey throws perfect game as OHS routs DC

April 13, 2019 | 12:22 am

Updated April 13, 2019 | 12:22 am

Isaac Humphrey threw a perfect game as Owensboro beat Daviess County. | Photo by Ryan Richardson

Isaac Humphrey threw a perfect game and got plenty of run support — including a grand slam by Braxton French — as Owensboro cruised to a 15-0 win in four innings at Daviess County in the 9th District baseball opener for both teams Friday night.

The Red Devils (8-5) quickly put up four runs in the first inning and added three in the second, and the Panthers (5-7) just weren’t able to get much going. The blast over the right field wall by French came during a six-run third frame, and Owensboro added two more in the fourth.

Humphrey needed only 63 pitches (43 strikes) and struck out nine of the 12 batters he faced. His no-hitter had a close call in the third inning, but a diving catch by right fielder by Trace Grenier prevented Ryan Beckwith from reaching base.

Humphrey said having an early lead allowed him to relax and take the mound with confidence.

“When we scored in the first inning, it was a whole lot easier to pitch,” he said. “Just go up there and throw strikes. That’s your only job.”

Humphrey said after a slow start to the year, his command was solid Friday.

“Mixing fast balls in and out (led to strikeouts),” he said. “That’s all it is, just placement and letting my natural movement do the work. I struggled a little bit early, so it’s good to get back throwing like I was toward the end of last year.”

Head coach Logan Johnson said it was the type of outing he is looking for from his junior pitcher.

“He had a lot of life on his fast ball,” Johnson said. “He was able to command the zone pretty well. That’s what we look for with Isaac, is aggressiveness and then being able to get off the plate a little bit late and bury breaking balls late.”

Daviess County ended up with three errors on the day, but head coach Brandon Dennis said they were simply outmatched.

“Sometimes, you just run into a buzzsaw, a team that’s just better than you are on that night,” he said. “Everything they did was better than what we did from the first hitter on. We didn’t do a terrible job. Everything they hit found a hole and they hit it hard. After things started to unravel, we started to boot it around a little bit and make things a little bit worse, and they just kept pouring it on.”

French drew a walk to start the game and scored on a single by Nick Belcher. Back-to-back doubles by Humphrey and Trace Grenier led to three more runs for Owensboro.

Humphrey struck out the side in the bottom of the first and added an RBI in the top of the three-run second for a 7-0 lead. He also had RBIs in the third and fourth innings.

French was officially 1-for-1 at the plate — he drew two walks and was hit by a pitch — but he led the offense with four runs scored and he added four RBIs. Humphrey drove in five runs and had a double.

Tucker Hagan scored three times and Eric Epperson crossed the plate twice, and Grenier had a double.

Daviess County’s Beckwith took the loss, giving up 13 runs on 10 hits through 2.0 innings.

OHS 436-2—15-12-0
DCHS 000-0—0-0-3
WP: Humphrey. LP: Beckwith. 2B: Grenier, Humphrey (OH). HR: French (O).

April 13, 2019 | 12:22 am

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