Daviess County grabbed a close win to close out the week, while Apollo and Owensboro struggled to muster up enough offense in its respective losses.
Daviess County vs. Breckinridge County
Junior Cason Troutman was in charge on the mound Saturday, leading Daviess County to a 2-0 win in a pitcher’s duel with Breckinridge County.
The Panthers took an early lead in the first, taking advantage of some miscues by the Fighting Tigers. After a leadoff strikeout Troutman was hit by a pitch, then two batters later junior Layton Huskisson delivered an RBI single to center to make it a 1-0 game.
After three straight scoreless innings Daviess County was able to add on to its lead, getting a run on an error after a ground ball from Troutman to take a 2-0 lead into the sixth.
This was more than enough run support for Troutman, as he allowed one hit in the final two innings and closed the door on a 2-0 win.
Troutman tossed a complete-game shutout to earn the victory, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Huskisson, juniors Decker Renfrow, Jackson Loucks and Ethan Ahart and senior Owen Payne all recorded a hit, while Huskisson had the lone RBI for the day.
The Panthers move to 12-4 overall and extend their winning streak to six games with the win, as they will take a day off before a district matchup with Owensboro at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Apollo vs. St. Xavier
The Eagles bullpen struggled on Saturday, giving up a barrage of runs late that led to a 7-3 loss to St Xavier.
Apollo gained some momentum early, getting an RBI triple from senior Nick Judd and a sac fly from freshman Sam Holder to go up 2-0. However, St. X chipped away at the lead by getting a run in the bottom of the first and third to knot things up.
Apollo was able to regain the lead in the top of the fifth, but St. X’s offense locked in late. Having come in for sophomore Noah Cook after four innings, junior Aiden Wells allowed three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.
Following a 1-2-3 top of the sixth for the Eagles, senior Tyler Payne headed to the mound and had similar struggles. Payne allowed two runs on two hits, as St. X went on to walk away with a 7-3 win.
The Eagles outhit the Tigers 8-7 on the day, but were unable to turn them into runs. Holder led the way with two RBIs for Apollo.
Now riding a two-game losing streak, Apollo sits at 12-6 overall going into a district matchup with Owensboro at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Owensboro vs Franklin-Simpson
Owensboro couldn’t string together hits on Saturday, as Franklin-Simpson grabbed a 7-3 win.
Franklin-Simpson took control of the game early, getting an RBI double and scoring shortly after on an error to go up 2-0 after the first. The Wildcats added two more the following inning, putting the pressure on the Red Devils down 4-0.
Owensboro was able to get one back in the top of the third, as freshman Cayden Ray scored on a passed ball. However, Franklin-Simpson quickly responded with a run in the bottom half to grow their lead to 5-1.
The Red Devils were able to get two in the top of the fifth by scoring on two hit by pitches, but they left the bases loaded and had only cut it to 5-3. This was before Franklin-Simpson matched them in the bottom of the fifth, which would ultimately be the dagger that led to a 7-3 loss for Owensboro.
Owensboro was outhit 9-3 on the day, as freshmen Will Hume and Blake Kimbrell were the lone players with an RBI.
The Red Devils move to 7-8 overall and will look for revenge in its next game, as they are set for another district bout with Daviess County at 7 p.m.
