By David Quintanilla – Sporting Times Reporter
Kentucky district baseball is over. But now it’s time for the main event, win and advance or lose and go home. For the region 4 tournament the winner and runners-up of districts 13, 14, 15, and 16 are going to be competing for a spot in the state tournament. The region winner of each district will be going up against a runner-up of another district, with district winners getting home field advantages during the tournament.
Now let’s talk about the matchups.
Logan County (23-9) hosts Bowling Green (24-9)
Logan County defeated Franklin-Simpson 7-6 in the district 13 final. Davin Yates, was their player of the game, he went 3-3 with 2 doubles 1 RBI and a stolen base. He also pitched 2.1 innings and only gave up 3 hits. For most of the game Keaton Slaughter was the pitcher, pitching 4 innings and giving up only 3 runs. He was one huge reason for the win. Bowling Green Purples who were the number 1 seed in the 14th district are coming off a 4-3 defeat against the Warren East Raiders in the 14th district championship game. That doesn’t mean they played bad though. Patrick Forbes came in and relieved for 4 innings giving up only 2 hits one walk and striking out 7. Bowling Green scored their 3 runs in 5 hits. Bowling Green and Logan have faced each other twice during the regular season with BG winning both of those contests, (19-0) and (14-4). Don’t let the regular season fool you, the Cougars have won 13 straight games and 18 out of their last 19 contest. Both teams can rip the ball with Logan County averaging .307 and the Purples team average .370. Bowling Green senior Patrick Forbes, a University of Louisville commit, and Mr. Kentucky Baseball candidate averages an amazing .568 at the plate and throws in the mid 90’s.
Russell County (25-6) hosts Barren County (12-20)
For the 6th consecutive season, Russell County has punched their ticket to the 4th region tourney. Both of these teams led their district by the end of the season, with Russell County winning against Clinton County 14-0. They totaled 7 hits and 8 walks. Their player of the game being starting pitcher Nathan Lawson in just 5 innings he had 8 strikeouts 1 walk and only allowed 3 hits. Lawson also leads the team in batting average hitting .463 and will show is power with 12 HR this season. As for Barren County they lost their district final to Glasgow 4-12. The team had 7 hits 4 RBI 1 home run and 5 walks. Their best player was Jameson Buie batted 3-3 and had 2 walks. Jameson also leads the team in batting average with .379. Despite the difference in record, the Trojans keep the first game close against the Lakers losing by 4.
Warren East (22-13) hosts Franklin-Simpson (19-15)
Warren East pulled the upset against the number #1 seed the Bowling Green in the district final, beating them 4-3. One of the most important parts to East win was their starting pitcher Drake Young who had a game to remember. In 4 innings he only allowed 1 hit 1 walk and had 7 strikeouts. As well as getting an RBI. The Raiders average .300 at the plate with sophomore Tray Price leading the team with a .367 average. Franklin-Simpson had a close game against rival Logan Co. in the 13th district championship, losing by one 7-6. Cole Wix had 3 RBI’s in 4 at bats. The Wildcats will need to keep their walks down as they gave up 7 against Logan Co. in which most resulted in scored runs. East pitching staff is tough and will look to their dominance on the mound.
Glasgow (17-14) hosts Clinton County (14-11)
Glasgow pulled out an upset of their own in the 15th district with a win over Barren Co. The Scotties pitching staff performed excellent. Zachary Poore allowed only 5 hits, 2 runs in 5 innings with 7 strikeouts. Their relief pitcher Jon Carroll pitched 2 innings only granting 2 hits and 2 earned runs. Five of the Glasgow hitters also had doubles with 5 stole bases.
Even though Clinton Co. lost 14-0 Walker Casasda still showed grit. Walker had 2 hits in 3 at bats. Despite being 3-3 in the 16th district Clinton Co. was able to reach the district final and advance to the 4th Region. The Bulldogs average .291 at the plate and will need to catch fire with their bats to advance against the Scotties.
It’s a new season and we have a great week of baseball ahead of us. If you cannot make it to the ballpark, you can watch the Bowling Green vs. Logan County game live and free. Visit STfanclub.com/live
The Sporting Times will have full coverage of the semis and finals. Download our free app for ROKU and Amazon Fire TV. or watch online.
Best of luck to all teams and congratulations for making it to the Region Tournament.
