Despite valiant comeback efforts from the Eagles, Daviess County’s early lead ended up staying in tact long enough for the Panthers to secure a 7-6 win over Apollo on Friday.
Daviess County put the ball in play right away, taking advantage of a hit by pitch with an error from senior Nick Judd at short to grab a 1-0 lead. The Eagles shot themselves in the foot again in the second, as Judd’s throw was off the mark and let a run score.
The following at-bat junior Cason Troutman brought in two with a single, giving the Panthers a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.
Apollo was able to get one back in the second, getting a sac fly with the bases loaded from sophomore Noah Cook. But while Cook was succeeding offensively, his struggles on the mound persisted.
After an RBI single from senior Owen Payne made it 5-1 to start the third, junior Jackson Loucks was hit to load the bases with no outs. Following a strikeout senior Mason Boswell hit a sac fly, which was followed with a single from junior Decker Renfrow to send Daviess County into the bottom of the third 7-1.
“We did a good job of taking what they gave us,” Head Coach Austin Clay said. “The Cook kid is really good and he has two really good pitches… We did a good job of taking what he gave us.”
The Eagles bounced back in the bottom of the fourth, getting two runs from a senior Harrison Bowman home run to right to make it a 7-3 game. This was just the jolt that the Eagles needed to mount a comeback.
“It was a kickstart,” Head Coach Mason Head said. “You just kind of feel dead in the water down 7-1 at the time and it’s just like [can we get] anything to get it going. Then that happens.”
Apollo had a bases loaded opportunity the following inning, but were only able to get one as Troutman entered the game and retired junior Charles Schneider to keep it at 7-4 going into the sixth.
The Eagles got a step closer in the bottom of the sixth, adding one thanks to a two-out single from senior Dayton Brown to cut it to 7-5 going into the final inning. Schneider doubled to score one in the bottom of the seventh, but that would be all she wrote as Troutman closed the door on the 7-6 win.
Clay said that he was very pleased with the composure his team showed in battling and not giving in when Apollo began to make a comeback.
“I was proud of them for the way they didn’t fold,” Clay said. “There were guys that I think struck out that came up in big spots late in the game. They’re maturing a lot as the season is going on. I’m happy to see the growth.”
Daviess County improves to 16-6 overall and 4-1 in district play, putting them in a great position to fight for the No. 1 seed in district play. The Panthers will get that opportunity when they take on Owensboro Catholic next week, but first they return to the field Monday when they take on Union County at 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Apollo fell to 17-9 overall and 1-2 in district play with the loss. However, despite the result not being in the Eagles favor Head was thrilled with their fight, but knows that they have plenty of things to work on going forward.
“Really proud of the back half [and] the front half wrote the practice plan for the next two weeks…” Head said. “The first three, we didn’t play clean. I feel like a broken record saying the same thing after every loss, but it’s rare we lose a game because someone downright beat us.”
The game was filled with high intensity from both sides, with fan sections from both Daviess County and Apollo roaring at any given moment. With the postseason quickly approaching, Head and Clay agreed with the notion that games like these help prepare them for when they are under the spotlight.
“You can’t replicate it and I think that’s where we’re headed for,” Head said. “All four city teams have great crowds and it’s a five-minute drive for everybody… What more could you want? You can’t replicate those atmospheres. The only way to prep for it is to play in it.”
The Eagles have a big day next week, as they have three district games. They will play Owensboro once and Owensboro Catholic twice, starting with the Aces at 6 p.m. on Monday.
Head and company know that next week will be a hectic one, but are planning on taking things step by step in order to find some success and move up in district seeding.
“Just one day at a time,” Head said. “We play Monday, nothing else exists. We play Tuesday, nothing else exists. We play Wednesday, nothing else exists. Just one day at a time. Our coaching staff has a plan together and we’re going to execute it.”
