The Red Devils couldn’t silence Apollo’s on Monday, as they countered a late rally from Owensboro with one of their own to get a walk-off single and a 5-4 district win.
The Eagles drew first blood, as a leadoff single led to consectuive errors that plated the first run of the game. Following a fielder’s choice senior Aiden Wells delivered an RBI single as well, giving them a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
After a couple of scoreless innings the Red Devils bounced back though, as a pair of singles from sophomore Trevor DeLacey and freshman Elijah Hampton eventually led to a pair of runs scoring on a passed ball and wild pitch to even the game up at 2-2 heading into the fifth.
The two teams went on to trade a run each in the fifth to make it 3-3 and after a scoreless sixth, Owensboro looked to take control of the game late in the top of the seventh. The Red Devils were able to keep rolling after sophomore Blake Kimbrell was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a leadoff triple, as a walk from sophomore Brady Benjamin and a single from eighth grader Ty Ashley put runners on the corners with one out.
Owensboro then pulled off a safety squeeze courtesy of sophomore Will Rickard to make it a 4-3 game, while a hit by pitch and walk followed to load the bases. Junior Easton Blandford was able to come in and get the Eagles out of the jam though, ending the threat and sending them into the bottom of the seventh down a run.
Blandford also drew a walk after a leadoff double from junior Michael Chaney in the bottom of the seventh, as eighth grader Ross Milburn entered the game for Easton as a courtesy runner and scored on an RBI single from Hayden Cash that tied the game at 4-4. Rickard nearly got Owensboro out of the jam and forced extra innings by striking out Wells the following at-bat, but senior Braxton Franey came through with a liner to right to secure the 5-4 win with a walk-off single.
Blandford got the win for getting the lone out to work out of the jam in the top of the seventh, while Rickard was hit with the loss after surrendering two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two in 1 ⅔ innings in relief. Senior Connor Hallmark threw the first five innings for Owensboro, allowing three runs—one earned—on six hits and two walks, while striking out four.
Rickard also had the only RBI of the day for the Red Devils, while Cash, Franey, Wells and junior Will Strode all had one each for Apollo. Owensboro falls to 8-8 and 1-1 in district heading into a road contest with Breckinridge County at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the Eagles move to 13-5 overall and 1-1 in district play heading into a road matchup with Ohio County at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
