Caldwell County earned its second-straight 2nd Region All A title with an 11-1 win over University Heights Academy. The win is the Tigers’ seventh in a row and improves their record to 11-2, while the Blazers see a three-game win streak snapped and slip to 5-4 on the year. Caldwell beat the Blazers 12-0 in last season’s title game.
While the game was played at UHA, Caldwell was the home team and they took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Tigers took advantage of a passed ball to score the first run, before senior Shane Burns doubled to score sophomore Coby Holub.
After another Tiger run on a passed ball, the Blazers got on the board when senior Malik Lovan beat-out a ground ball to bring home freshman Luke Welch. Freshman Tate Van Hooser reached on an error that allowed Burns to score, before Brown singled to give Caldwell a 6-1 lead.
UHA junior Drew McGowan pitched through the fifth inning, with junior Dan Johnson starting the sixth. The Tigers jumped on Johnson to finish the game, scoring 5 runs on RBI doubles by Gabe East and Jase Ryan Felker.
East earned the win for the Tigers, pitching 4.0 innings and only allowing an unearned run on two hits, striking out six and walking three. Felker pitched the final two frames, striking out four and walking two.
Brown led the Tiger attack at 3-3 with an RBI and 3 runs scored. East knocked-in 2, getting a hit and scoring a run. Burns had an RBI, and he and Felker had two hits each.
McGowan took the loss, going five innings and allowing 6 runs, 1 earned, on six hits. He struck out ten and walked two. Johnson got one out in the sixth, surrendering 5 runs, 4 earned, with three hits and a walk.
Blazer 8th grader Eston Glover had a hit, Lovan had an RBI and a hit, and freshman Luke Welch drew a walk and scored.
The Tigers will now face Carlisle County in the All A sectionalson a date TBA. The Comets were 11-10 winners over Murray High in the 1st Region championship. Caldwell returns to the field on Friday with a trip to Eddyville to face Lyon County. UHA is scheduled to play Owensboro Catholic at home on Friday.
