Owensboro and Apollo took advantage of strong starts offensively on Monday, grabbing respective home wins over Breckinridge County and Bowling Green to start the week.
Owensboro vs. Breckinridge County
The Red Devils stayed hot and grabbed their third straight win to kick off the week, using a hot start offensively to hang on for a 6-4 win over Breckinridge County.
Owensboro got right to work offensively, quickly loading the bases in the bottom of the first with a hit by pitch, walk and a single from sophomore Blake Kimbrell. Sophomore Cayden Ray walked to plate a run the following at-bat, while senior Connor Hallmark singled to make it 2-0 shortly after.
Sophomore Will Hume then delivered a two-run single of his own, before Hallmark scored on a Fighting Tigers error during the next at-bat to take a 5-0 lead into the second inning. The Red Devils then went cold however, while Breckinridge County scored one in the third and one in the top of the sixth to stay within reach at 5-2.
Owensboro got one back in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single from Kimbrell, but the Fighting Tigers stuck true to their name by getting a two-out two-run double in the top of the seventh to make it a 6-4 game. Sophomore Will Rickard was able to bear down and get the final out the very next at-bat though, giving the Red Devils the 6-4 home win.
Hume led the way at the plate with two RBIs, while Kimbrell, Ray and Hallmark all had one each. Hallmark got the start on the mound, allowing one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out three, while Rickard handled the final four innings of relief with two earned runs allowed on seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
Owensboro sits at 3-1 with the win, as they will look to keep rolling in a road matchup with Grayson County on Tueday at 6 p.m.
Apollo vs. Bowling Green
The Eagles got some late insurance runs that were crucial at home on Monday night, helping them fend off Bowling Green in a 5-3 win to start the week.
Apollo got on the board first as an error on the Purples was followed up by a single from junior Will Strode, while senior Josh Mayes and Strode went on to score on a passed ball and wild pitch to take a 2-0 lead after one. Bowling Green got a run each in the next two innings, but after the game hit a bit of a stalemate the Eagles exploded for three more in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead.
The Purples were able to take advantage of an Apollo error in the top of the seventh to get a run and cut their deficit to 5-3, but that was all they would get in the eventual road loss. The Eagles took advantage of three Bowling Green errors on the day, with junior Easton Blandford and senior Sam Holder having the lone RBI each of the day.
Senior Braxton Franey got the start, allowing one earned run on three hits while walking four and striking out four. Sophomore Grayson Smith handled the final three innings in relief, giving up one run on one hit while striking out five to close out the win. Apollo moves to 5-1 with the win, as they’ll look to stay hot in their district opener on Tuesday on the road against Owensboro Catholic at 5:30 p.m.
