Owensboro split its doubleheader on Wednesday, while Daviess County had a prolific offensive showing against Henry County and Owensboro Catholic fell just short in a tough loss to Pensacola Catholic in the Fort Walton Beach Bash.
Owensboro vs. Todd County Central, Anderson County
The Red Devils moved to 2-0 to start the Fort Walton Beach Bash, shutting out Todd County Central en route to a 7-0 win on Wednesday.
Owensboro wasted no time taking control of the game, getting an RBI single from eighth grader Elijah Hampton to make it 1-0 after a leadoff walk and double. Another run crossed during the next at-bat because of a wild pitch, before junior Connor Hallmark and freshman Will Hume both hit RBI singles to claim a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
The Red Devils proceeded to get a run each across the next three innings, one including a solo home run from Elijah Hampton in the fourth on the way to a 7-0 win.
Owensboro’s pitching staff played a huge part in the win, limiting the Rebels to just six hits on the day. It was Hallmark who got the start, tossing 4 ⅔ innings while allowing no runs on four hits, walking three and striking out one.
Senior Jacob Mitchell came in for relief, tossing 2 ⅓ innings while allowing no runs on two hits and striking out four. Elijah Hampton led the way at the plate having two RBIs on the day, while joining Hume as the only other player with two hits.
The Red Devils offensive prowess didn’t carry over into their second game of the day, as their comeback efforts were too little too late and fell to Anderson County 4-2.
The Bearcats took control of the game early, grabbing two runs in the first inning before subsequently getting a run each in the second and third to go up 4-0. Senior Kindrick Williams tossed the first two innings of the game for Owensboro, giving up three runs—two earned—on two hits with one strikeout.
The Red Devils got one run back in the top of the fourth, as a run scored on a fielder’s choice from Kimbrell to make it a 4-1 game. Meanwhile, sophomore Kaleb Ashley was handling himself well on the mound, holding Anderson County scoreless since giving up a run in the third.
Ashley went on to finish the game having pitched four innings, allowing one run on three hits, while walking and striking out one. This helped keep the Red Devils in the game, as they got another run in the top of the seventh thanks to doubles from Hallmark and Hume.
However, a strikeout and groundout quickly ended the day for Owensboro, as they fell to the Bearcats 4-2 despite its best efforts to pull off a comeback win.
With the 1-1 split the Red Devils move to 6-6 overall and will look to bounce back in their final game of the tournament against Fort Walton at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Daviess County vs. Henry County
The Panthers offense was clicking on all cylinders Wednesday, grabbing an immense 33-11 win over Henry County in the Fort Walton Beach Bash.
Daviess County took control of the game in the first inning, getting an RBI single from sophomore Lake Wilson to make it a 1-0 game. A bases-clearing single from junior Jackson Loucks followed to make it a 4-0 game going into the bottom of the first.
Henry County was able to get a run back in the bottom of the first, but a five-run second inning sparked a monstrous run for the remainder of the game. Scoring 29 runs after the first inning—with 12 runs coming in the top of the fifth—the Panthers went on to limit Henry County to just over double digits in a 33-11 win.
Wilson and senior Owen Payne led the way offensively, as both players recorded seven RBIs while having four and three hits respectively. Junior Decker Renfrow had three RBIs on the day, while junior Marcus Murphy, junior Layton Huskisson and sophomore Carter Nichols all had two RBIs each.
Daviess County moves to 8-4 with the dominant win, as they will close out the Fort Walton Beach Bash on Thursday against Nelson County at 9 a.m.
Owensboro Catholic vs. Pensacola Catholic
Seeming like they had held off a comeback win with a strong top of the seventh offensively, the Aces couldn’t silence Pensacola Catholic’s bats and surrendered a walk-off single to fall 10-9 on Wednesday.
Owensboro Catholic had a comfortable 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth, having scored three runs in the top of the first and fourth. However, Pensacola matched the Aces offensive production in the fourth to make it a 6-4 game.
Pensacola kept its foot on the gas over the course of the fifth and sixth as well, getting a run in each inning to knot things up at 6-6. Owensboro Catholic responded swiftly, looking to reclaim the lead and stay undefeated in the Fort Walton Beach Bash.
With two outs in the top of the seventh junior Grant Parson singled to put runners on first and second. Needing a clutch hit it was freshman Brady Atwell who came through with a three-run homer to right, giving the Aces a 9-6 lead.
However, Pensacola Catholic wasn’t going away and cut its deficit to 9-8 after a leadoff walk and a two-run homer to start the bottom of the seventh. An error by Owensboro Catholic followed, which led to an RBI single that knotted things up at 9-9 once again with no outs.
With all momentum on its side after a walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases, Pensacola Catholic got the single they needed to bring home the winning run and came away with a 10-9 walk-off victory.
The Aces had a rough day on the mound as senior Sam McFarland allowed four earned runs, Parson allowed three earned runs (four runs) and junior Jamison Wall surrendered two. Atwell led the way at the plate with three RBIs, while McFarland followed with two on the day.
The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak for Owensboro Catholic, as they will look to get back in the win column on Friday when they take on Deerfield-Windsor at noon.
