High school baseball: 42nd and 43rd District tournament previews
After a few cold, rain-soaked weeks, the sun and warmer temperatures are expected to return just in time for baseball’s postseason to get underway in Kentucky. Lexington Catholic and Scott County enter as the No. 1 seeds in their respective district tournaments, but these favorites are by no means clear-cut.
Scott County swept its 42nd District rivals for the first time since it moved to the 11th Region in 2006, but the Cardinals expect to face Bryan Station ace Aaron Miley when the two open tournament play on Monday. The winner locks up a spot in the district finals and regional tournament; the loser hangs up their gloves until next spring.
Sayre upended Henry Clay 6-1 on the road last Sunday and won the tie-breaker (runs allowed against district opponents) to get the 42nd District’s second seed over the Blue Devils. The Spartans would love to return to the 11th Region tournament, where last year they upset No. 2 Lafayette for their first regional victory in 18 years. Henry Clay went 4-4 in its final eight games. The teams posted identical records in the regular season.
Tates Creek last week prevented Lexington Catholic from sweeping the 43rd District. The Commodores come into the playoffs red-hot, winning 10 straight and positioning themselves at No. 5 in Prep Baseball Report’s latest rankings. As the second seed, they’ll face Lafayette in the semifinals on Tuesday. The Generals are 2-7 in their previous nine games, including a 0-4 loss to Creek.
Lexington Catholic on Tuesday will get the winner between Paul Laurence Dunbar and host Lexington Christian, who play on Monday. LCA lost both of its regular-season games against Dunbar, which at one point lost 10 of 13 games but finished the season with a 6-3 stretch. Lexington Christian went through a similar midseason dry spell, dropping 13 of 15 before finishing the year 4-1.
42nd District
At Scott County
Monday: Scott County (22-10) vs. Bryan Station (6-27), 5:30 p.m.; Sayre (21-13) vs. Henry Clay (21-13), 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Finals, 7:30 p.m.
43rd District
At Lexington Christian
Monday: Paul Dunbar (18-15) vs. Lexington Christian (11-19), 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Tates Creek (25-6) vs. Lafayette (19-15), 6 p.m.; Lexington Catholic (23-11) vs. Dunbar-LCA winner, 8 p.m.
Wednesday: Finals, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "High school baseball: 42nd and 43rd District tournament previews."