Seniors Sam McFarland and Hayden Ward didn’t allow an earned run against the Red Devils, as Owensboro Catholic advanced to the 9th District Championship with a 7-1 win.
Some Owensboro miscues with runners on first and second helped the Aces get on the board first, as senior Kindrick Williams didn’t tag the runner going to third and launched the ball into right field. A run scored as a result and runners moved to scoring position with one out.
A groundout followed, but freshman Brady Atwell delivered a two-out two-run single to make it a 3-0 game going into the second. Owensboro Catholic added two more runs in the bottom of the second, as a bunt from Heistand turned into Williams’ second error of the day and gave the Aces a 4-0 lead.
Heistand advanced to second on the error and then third after a passed ball, before ultimately scoring on a sac fly by senior Luke Evans to take a 5-0 lead. But Owensboro Catholic didn’t stop there.
A leadoff single from senior Braden Mundy and some small ball helped the Aces get a run on a wild pitch. Senior John Michael Frey later got in a rundown in between first and second, helping a run score and to make it 7-0 going into the fourth.
The Red Devils showed signs of life in the top of the fourth because of an error and a single to put runners on the corners. But sophomore Jalen Rogers grounded into a double play with one out, ending the scoring threat and leaving their deficit at 7-0 going into the bottom of the fourth.
Owensboro was able to crack the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, as an Aces error allowed them to make it a 7-1 game. However, seniors Sam McFarland and Hayden Ward had combined to not allow any earned runs on the night, as the Red Devils were held scoreless for the final two innings of a 7-1 loss to Owensboro Catholic.
McFarland tossed five innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits, while walking one and striking out two. Ward followed, allowing no runs on two hits in two innings pitched. The Aces pitching staff has been instrumental in the team’s success this season and Head Coach Jody Hamilton is pleased with the depth they have in their arsenal.
“I think we could go to six or seven guys maybe,” Hamilton said. “I feel confident and comfortable about it. It’s just one of those things of what the situation brings up and we’ll go from there.”
Meanwhile it was freshman Will Rickard who kept the Red Devils in the game, allowing no runs on two hits, while walking one and striking out three in 3 ⅓ innings pitched.
“We essentially have a plan for pitchers and our relief pitcher’s first goal is to get the last out of the game,” Head Coach Jacob Fiorella said. “Will did a really good job. He came in during a tough spot, he came in with the top of the lineup up. He mixed it up enough for them not to string stuff together.”
However, the offense didn’t follow for Owensboro. They weren’t able to string runs together despite matching the Aces in hits, something Fiorella said has been the exact opposite of their issues offensively this year.
“We had a lot of two-out hits, the problem is we just had nothing going before that,” Fiorella said. “To win these games as I’ve said before, all season we got guys on base and with two outs nothing broke through. And today we didn’t get a whole lot to break through until we got two outs.”
Offensively Owensboro Catholic would match Owensboro in hits with eight, while Atwell led the way with two RBIs and Heistand and Evans had one each. Hamilton feels that the Aces could’ve scored even more to put the game away Saturday, but with their dominant pitching he knows that they have a very well-balanced team.
“We still hit a few balls hard there even though we didn’t get any more runs,” Hamilton said. “I still think we can do better. Most coaches probably wouldn’t complain about scoring seven runs, but I’m a guy that’s going to complain. We’ve been really fortunate. This is our 30th game and we’ve given up 91 runs. If we can usually hold a team under three we’re probably going to win.”
The Aces improve to 26-4 overall with the win, as they now ride an 11-game winning streak going into the district championship against Apollo at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. While Owensboro Catholic has played the Eagles and beat them twice in the regular season, Hamilton said that the preparation and the mental side of the game won’t change.
“You just approach it just like you do a regular season game,” Hamilton said. “You just keep going at it and nothing changes. Just maybe who you’re throwing and go from there.”
Owensboro’s season comes to a close with the loss, as they finish the season with a 13-17 record in the first year of the Fiorella era. While acknowledging the impact his two seniors—Kindrick Williams and Jacob Mitchell—for the impact that they’ve had on Owensboro baseball, he couldn’t help but feel excited about the future of the Red Devils.
“I said at the beginning of the year I like the pieces of the puzzle that we have, we just have to put that puzzle together,” Fiorella said. “I think with a little bit of experience and maturity that we’ve gained through this season that we’re going to be able to do that.”
