KHSAA state baseball: Rain postpones Eastern Kentucky showdown mid-stride

Boyd County and Wolfe County’s showdown in the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament moved at a brisk pace while it was actually contested.

Three rain delays — a 20-minute stoppage right after the first half-inning, an hour-and-five-minute delay early in the top of the third, and a final one starting at 11:13 p.m. — marred what was shaping up to be an exciting quarterfinal at Kentucky Proud Park. The last rain cell did things in; play was officially suspended at 11:30 p.m.

The game, tied at 1-1, will resume at 1 p.m. with Boyd County set to start its next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. Based on visible demonstrations, neither dugout seemed satisfied with the decision to postpone. Fans in attendance matched that energy.

Lightning was never visible in the area. Each delay was due to rain, often heavy amounts of it.

Boyd County scored in its first go at the plate despite not recording a hit until the fourth inning. Wolfe County loaded the bases in the top of the fifth and scored on a sacrifice fly, knotting things almost immediately before the postponing delay.

Trinity 6, Taylor County 2: The first five batters reached for Trinity, allowing it to build a three-run lead from which the Cardinals (29-7) couldn’t rally. They became the first team to secure a spot in this year’s semifinals.

Taylor County got two back in the immediate frame, but the Shamrocks (36-3) tacked on additional runs in the second, third and fourth to maintain a comfortable advantage. Zach Floyd was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run for the winners.

Saturday’s first-round games

Pleasure Ridge Park 10, Corbin 3: Kobie Howard and Brayden Bruner drove in two runs apiece for the defending champions, who kicked off Saturday’s delayed first-round slate with a convincing victory.

The Redhounds (20-18) trailed 3-0 but pulled within a run in the top of the fourth. PRP matched those in the bottom and delivered four more in the fifth to build a hefty edge. The Panthers (27-6) capitalized on four Corbin errors while playing mistake-free ball for the duration.

Spencer County 12, Johnson Central 2 (6 innings): Jarett Stewart limited the Golden Eagles to one hit and his bats backed him up for a cruiser.

The Bears (28-8) in the top of the fourth unknotted a 2-2 game with a three-run flurry. They added four more in the fifth, during which Johnson Central head coach Shawn Hall was ejected after voicing his displeasure over what appeared to be a missed strikeout call. Spencer County put three more runs on the board in the sixth and the Golden Eagles (29-8) couldn’t muster a response.

Carter Walters was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored for the Bears, who set up a showdown with PRP in a quarterfinal game scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday. The programs, separated by about 45 miles, have not played one another this century.

Saturday’s first-round games

McCracken County 3, Lyon County 1: The Mustangs scored all three runs in the second inning to erase an early Lyon County lead and punch a ticket to the quarterfinals. They’ll meet South Warren in a Sunday tilt scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Pitcher Joshua Penrod went 5⅓, allowing three hits and fanning five, and helped his own cause in the decisive frame; he knocked in two runs on a double. Noah Godwin didn’t allow a hit or walk throwing the final 1⅔.

McCracken County (29-8), which eyes its second straight trip to the state finals, fell 4-1 last year to Pleasure Ridge Park, whom it could meet in next week’s semifinals.

South Warren 6, Highlands 5 (9 innings): A rain-delayed start was again halted by lightning in the second inning with the Bluebirds on top, 4-1. When play resumed an hour and 41 minutes later, the Spartans turned to ace Mikey Coradini and got back into it.

Coradini, who last week was thought to be done with the season due to a shoulder injury, during the lightning delay told head coach Chris Gage to put him in the game when it resumed. He made the most of his unplanned turn on the mound, going the final 7⅔ innings for South Warren (31-8) as it rallied to take a 5-4 lead by the bottom of the sixth.

Highlands (27-8-1) scored its only run against Coradini soon after to force extras. Gray Person drove in the winning run on a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth after leadoff hits from Jaxen Decker and Casey Green, who combined were 5-for-10 and scored four runs.

The Spartans might be without shortstop Griffin Rardin against McCracken County on Sunday. Rardin, one of the state’s top hitters by average, was ejected in the sixth inning after a collision with Highlands catcher Kai Anderson at home plate was ruled malicious. That ejection, which carries a one-game suspension, was in the midst of an appeal by South Warren on Saturday.