Bombers complete sweep of Lexington Post, grab second straight title

July 29, 2022 | 12:05 am

Updated July 28, 2022 | 3:01 pm

After waiting a day because of mother nature, the Owensboro Bombers didn’t let the rain get them down as a strong sixth inning pushed them to a 7-3 win over the Lexington Post to defend their 2021 state championship.

The Bombers got off to a strong start on Thursday, quickly finding themselves with an early scoring opportunity after back-to-back singles in the top of the first. It was then that Easton Blandford delivered a third consecutive single, driving in Harrison Bowman to take a 1-0 lead.

Davey Hiner then handled Lexington’s offense quickly in the first, overcoming a one-out error by quickly earning a double play the following at-bat. Owensboro returned the favor to Hiner in the top of the second by hitting three straight singles again, this time loading the bases.

Bowman would be the one to drive in a run during his second at-bat of the game, scoring one on a sacrifice fly. However, it was all the Bombers would get, as Hallmark was caught stealing and Brock Brubaker flew out to end the inning and keep it at 2-0 going into the third.

Owensboro’s bats went silent following the second and Lexington didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to claim the lead. Lexington got one run in the bottom of the fourth on a safety squeeze, but it was back-to-back RBI singles that gave them a 3-2 lead going into the sixth.

Following a strikeout and a groundout to start the sixth for the Bombers, it seemed as if Lexington had all momentum. However, a two-out walk by Bowman and a single from Brubaker kickstarted a late rally.

Blandford came through again with an RBI single to left, scoring both runners to take a 4-3 lead while advancing to second on the throw home. Owen Payne followed this up with an RBI double, before Charles Schneider singled to make it a 6-3 game.

Schneider later scored on a wild pitch to make it a 7-3 ballgame, scoring after back-to-back singles from Aiden Wells and Dayton Brown. This was more than enough run support for Hiner and Cayden Crabtree, who handled all seven innings on the mound.

Hiner threw four and ⅔ innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out seven. Crabtree handled the work out of the pen, allowing two hits and striking out two and ⅓ innings to secure the 7-3 win for the Bombers.

Blandford led the way at the plate with three RBIs on the day, while Bowman, Payne and Schneider all chipped in an RBI each to push them past Lexington. The win marks the second straight state championship for Owensboro, grabbing the 2-0 series win after defeating Lyon County last season.

July 29, 2022 | 12:05 am

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