LaRue County had accomplished plenty this season. After losing a strong senior class and fielding one of the youngest teams in the Region, they surprised everyone including themselves sometimes with an incredible performance winning the Region Tourney and advancing to the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament.
However, that season came to a thunderous end in round one at Legends Field yesterday afternoon. PRP overcame a slow start and pounded Hawks pitching for nine hits and 11-runs as they blew out a close game scoring in five of the seven innings they batted around in winning, 11-5.
LaRue County coach Kellen Lobb went to their ace Brayden Singleton, who was coming off the heels of his near perfect performance last week against Central Hardin and for at least the first two innings was able to hold the powerful Panthers at bay while the Hawks got two early runs off PRP starter Grayson Roll to lead 2-0 after one. The Panthers adjusted and tacked on a run in the top of the second and then put together five-runs in the third when they scored five times with Brayden Bruner’s three run shot being the biggest blow to take the lead, 6-2.
PRP continued to put on the pressure and scored three more times in the fourth inning while Roll continued to control the Hawks after their early explosion. Singleton was finally removed after throwing 89-pitches in four innings and Ayden Seidl was greeted with a home run by Asious Kavich to push the lead to 9-2 in the fifth.
The Panthers finished their scoring with another run in the sixth when a throwing error scored an unearned run to make it 11-2 until LaRue County strung some hits together in the seventh, the biggest shot was a triple by Ryan Hughes that scored Singleton, who reached on a fielding error and then the Hawks scored another unearned run to finish the scoring.
LaRue County finishes the season at 19-17, while PRP moves on to face Lexington Catholic Saturday afternoon.
