Owensboro and Apollo weren’t able to string enough offense together on Saturday, while Owensboro Catholic and Daviess County grabbed wins in its respective matchups.
Owensboro vs. South Oldham, Bowling Green
Unable to muster up enough offense in both games, Owensboro fell to South Oldham and Bowling Green in a home doubleheader on Saturday.
The Red Devils had themselves set up for a monster first inning against South Oldham by loading the bases with back-to-back singles and a walk. However, Owensboro was only able to grab one run thanks to an RBI single from freshman Blake Kimbrell before three straight outs ended the half inning with them up 1-0.
The Dragons responded in the bottom of the second, getting a two-out two-run single from junior Peyton Young before Owensboro could escape the bases-loaded jam. South Oldham grabbed two more the following inning, extending its lead to 4-1 thanks to a safety squeeze and an RBI groundout.
A solo home run from eighth grader Elijah Hampton and an RBI groundout from freshman Will Hume cut the Red Devils deficit to 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth, but the Dragons offense was not to be denied the win.
South Oldham scored two more runs in the bottom of the six, helping them hold on for a 6-4 win despite Owensboro scoring in the seventh.
The Red Devils looked to turn their offensive misfortunes around in the first inning against Bowling Green, grabbing three runs on an error, an RBI single from junior Connor Hallmark and a passed ball.
But the Purples quickly shifted momentum in the bottom half of the inning, kickstarting a six-run outburst with a two-run homer from senior Patrick Forbes. Following a scoreless second inning Bowling Green caught fire again, pouncing on a couple of errors in the inning for four runs to take a 10-3 lead.
Owensboro’s offense continued to struggle as the game progressed, while the Purples grabbed two more in the bottom of the fifth to end the game in their favor 12-3.
Suffering back-to-back losses on Saturday, the Red Devils now have a few days off before they hit the road again for a 5:30 p.m. matchup with Breckinridge County on Tuesday.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Male, Breckinridge County
Offense came in bunches for the Aces on Saturday, as they grabbed dominant wins over Male and Breckinridge County in a road doubleheader.
Owensboro Catholic set the tone for the game right away, grabbing a run in each of the first three innings. Those runs came to be thanks to an RBI double from senior Braden Mundy, an RBI single from senior Everett Munsey and an RBI single from senior J Crabtree.
The Aces grabbed three more runs in the top of the fourth, but continued to extend their lead to 8-0 thanks to RBI singles from seniors Luke Evans and Sam McFarland. The Fighting Tigers grabbed three more runs in the bottom half of the inning to cut it to 8-3, but Owensboro Catholic kept putting up crooked numbers.
The Aces tallied three runs across the sixth and seventh inning, helping close the door on an 11-4 win over Breckinridge County.
Owensboro Catholic kept its foot on the gas in its game with Male, taking a quick 5-0 lead after three. Freshman Brady Atwell opened up the scoring, hitting a two-run double to short left field in the first.
Evans added a run for the Aces in the second with a solo home run to right field, before recording a two-run double in the top of the third in order to give the Aces a 5-0 lead.
Owensboro Catholic wasn’t done there either, as Munsey opened up a big fifth inning with a two-run single. Shortly after Mundy got an RBI single, followed up by a fielder’s choice by Atwell and an RBI double from junior Grant Parson to give the Aces a 10-lead.
Meanwhile, McFarland closed the door on a masterful start, earning a shutout win with a 10-0 score against Male on Saturday.
McFarland tossed all five innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out nine. Evans led the way at the plate for Owensboro Catholic, recording three hits and three RBIs on the day.
Grabbing a pair of wins on Saturday, the Aces sit at 6-1 overall as they head into a district matchup with Daviess County at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Apollo vs. Trinity (Louisville)
Battling through a grueling pitcher’s duel, Apollo was unable to crack the books on Saturday and fell 4-0 to No. 1 ranked Trinity (Louisville) at home.
Only recording one hit in the inning, Trinity took advantage of a pair of hit by pitches and a pair of walks to take a 2-0 lead headed into the bottom half. The Eagles nearly did the same by loading the bases with a single after back-to-back walks, but consecutive strikeouts ended the scoring threat going into the second.
The Shamrocks took advantage of some Apollo miscues again in the third inning, as an error with two outs allowed a run to cross and gave them a 3-0 lead entering the bottom half of the inning.
Trinity got another run in the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI single from sophomore Robert Morrow, which was all they would need to secure the 4-0 victory as the Eagles failed to bring anyone home on the day.
Despite not being able to score a run, Apollo had the same amount of hits as the Shamrocks with six. Senior Harrison Bowman was the only player to have more than one hit for the Eagles, but also had two errors.
The loss to Trinity is Apollo’s first of the season, as they will look to bounce back when they hit the road to take on Bowling Green at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Daviess County vs. Hancock County
A strong start offensively and an efficient day on the mound for Daviess County’s pitching staff was more than enough to help them grab a 5-2 road win over the Hornets on Saturday.
The Panthers took advantage of back-to-back walks with one out in the first inning, as junior Layton Huskisson doubled to center to give them a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, an error allowed another run to cross for Daviess County as they went up 3-0.
Hancock County got a run in the bottom of the first and third inning, but the Panthers offense stifled any momentum that the Hornets had in the fifth.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Daviess County had a two-out rally started by a triple from senior Brock Brubaker. Huskisson and sophomore Lake Wilson proceeded to record back-to-back singles, giving them a 5-2 lead going into the sixth.
With nothing going offensively, the Hornets were unable to take charge in the game and fell to the Panthers 5-2.
Brubaker led the team with three hits, while Huskisson and senior Owen Payne tallied two hits each. Huskisson led the way with three RBIs, while Wilson was the only other player to record an RBI.
The Panthers got a solid start from Huskisson, as he threw 5.1 innings and gave up two runs on five hits, while walking five and striking out five. Junior Ethan Ahart handled himself well in relief, striking out while allowing no runs or hits in 1.2 innings pitched.
Daviess County bounced back from its first loss of the season with the win, now sitting at 6-1 overall before a district matchup with Owensboro Catholic at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
