Elizabethtown tops Central Hardin for the 17th District Title!
It may be getting old for the rest of the 17th District, but for Panther Nation it always sounds great. On a sunny Friday afternoon at James R. Aldridge Field at North Hardin high school, Elizabethtown won the District Championship game over Central Hardin, 3-1. 
It may seem like just another District trophy for the Panthers, but it was a tournament which took nearly five days to decide because of weather issues and answered several questions that needed to be answered by the three teams involved near the top. Because Central Hardin, Elizabethtown and North Hardin were tied in the District standings at regular season’s end, a draw was necessary to decide the top three seeds with the Panthers choosing the top seed and Central Hardin and North Hardin to follow.
The importance of the top seed was obvious as No.1 would play the winner of the Fort Knox – John Hardin winner in the first round while No.2 and No.3 would have to face each other for a third time in an elimination game.
As it turned out, Elizabethtown bounced John Hardin 11-1 and Central Hardin beat North Hardin for the third time this season, 3-1. This set up another meeting between two teams which since 2008 have developed a storied rivalry and it hasn’t always been a friendly one.
Since Central Hardin emerged as a state power with their first KHSAA Championship in 2011, the Bruins have won two of the last three District trophies, but this season it appeared as though the Panthers might finally have the upper hand this season taking both of the regular season matchups. The Panthers, who had won ten of their last eleven games would start out fast against Dylan Walters scoring three times and sitting on a 3-0 lead after one inning. With Graham Meek and holding the Bruins in check and then Ben Pyles finished off the Bruins as the two allowed only four hits (the only Central Hardin run was Tyler Wood’s sixth inning homer.
For both teams. winning the District is secondary as Elizabethtown and Central Hardin knew their season was extended by winning their semi-final games. Now the real fun begins as the 5th Region Baseball Tournament at Marion County high school will decide who goes to the KHSAA State Tournament in June.
Both the Panthers and Bruins had plenty of questions to answer before the season with the graduation of multiple starters. There were plenty of rough spots for both teams as they hit the skids early, but found some kind of balance. Now comes a three-day test where we will find out who aces their finally exams.
Elizabethtown vs. Bardstown 11:00 am
Marion County vs. Hart County 1:30
Nelson County vs. Campbellsville 4:00
Central Hardin vs. LaRue County 6:30
The most intriguing matchup could be the last one as LaRue County is one of the few teams in the area that owns a win over both Elizabethtown and Central Hardin. However, it is interesting that both teams have eliminated the Hawks in the last two 5th Region Tournaments.
