Things didn’t go the Red Devils way in their season opener against Muhlenberg County on Thursday, while Owensboro Catholic was on fire in a dominant win over Breckinridge County to start the season.
Owensboro vs Muhlenberg County
The Red Devils struggled at the plate and in the field on Thursday night, as they fell to Muhlenberg County 10-2 in their season opener on the road.
Owensboro drew first blood in the top half of the first, getting a leadoff single from freshman Evan Hampton and an error to lead to an RBI groundout by sophomore Cayden Ray and an RBI single from sophomore Brady Benjamin to take a 2-0 lead. The Mustangs got going in the bottom of the second though, as a leadoff hit by pitch followed by back-to-back singles got them on the board with no outs.
Following a fielder’s choice, an error, a two-run double and another error quickly led to a five-run inning and a 5-2 lead after two. Muhlenberg County added one more in the bottom of the third and four more in the bottom of the sixth, as Owensboro was only able to tally two hits and had six errors en route to a 10-2 loss.
Ray tossed the first three innings for the Red Devils, allowing three earned runs—six total—on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Senior Connor Hallmark followed with the final three, allowing one earned run—four total—on three hits while walking two and striking out one.
Owensboro falls to 0-1 to start the season, as they will look to bounce back in their first home game of the season at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Barren County.
Owensboro Catholic vs Breckinridge County
A collective effort on the mound paired with a dominant display offensively led the Aces to a season-opening win on Thursday, defeating Breckinridge County 12-1 on the road.
After a scoreless first inning Owensboro Catholic caught fire in the top of the second, starting with back-to-back singles from seniors Grant Parson and Jamison Wall. Parson scored on a wild pitch after a strikeout, while an RBI groundout from junior Ben Hyland made it a 2-0 game with two down.
A walk and a single followed before freshman Mason Moser earned an RBI single and an error led to two more runs and a 5-0 Aces lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. Breckinridge County got one back in the bottom of the second, but Owensboro Catholic held them scoreless the rest of the way while scoring six more runs to grab a 12-1 short-game victory.
Seventh grader Jaxson White got the opening day start, tossing two innings and allowing one earned run on three hits, while walking one and striking out three. Parson, Hyland and Wall handled the last three innings in relief, allowing one hit each while combining to walk two and strike out three.
Sophomore Brady Atwell led the way at the plate with a 2-4 day with a team-leading three RBIs, while Wall had a pair and 2-4, while Hyland had a pair and went 1-3 and Moser went 1-2 and had one. Owensboro Catholic opens the season up 1-0, as they’ll look to stay hot in a big game against St. Xavier on the road at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
