The Hopkinsville Tiger baseball team outscored visiting Fort Campbell 31-7 over a pair of wins Wednesday night, although that number is skewed by a 21-2 score in the opening game. The Falcons showed more resistance in the nightcap, battling the Tigers closely over five innings before a late flurry of runs gave Hopkinsville a 10-5 victory. The Tigers are now 3-0 in 8th District play and improve to 6-5, while the Falcons slip to 2-5 on the year, 0-3 against district competition.
With the game tied at 1 in the bottom of the second inning, Hopkinsville posted 6 runs, highlighted by consecutive RBI singles from junior John Duvall and sophomore Caleb Bapp. The Falcons got a run back in the top of the third, but 9 runs in the bottom of the inning gave the Tigers a 16-2 lead. Duvall singled again to clear the bases, and a base-knock by freshman Landon Snyder scored 2.
The Tigers added 5 more runs in the fourth, including RBI singles by Snyder and freshman Ryan Myers, and the Falcons went quietly in the top of the fifth to end the game.
Junior Aaron Crosby pitched 3.0 innings, allowing 2 runs, none earned, on four hits, with three strikeouts and a walk to pick up the win for the Tigers. Freshman Logan Durst pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Sophomore Andrew Syester went 2.2 innings and took the loss for the Falcons, giving up 8 runs, 7 earned, on four hits with two strikeouts and five walks.
Duvall was 3-3 with 5 RBI to lead the Tiger attack, followed by Snyder at 2-2 with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. Sophomore Layne Jorgensen had two hits and scored four times, with Bapp, sophomore Michael Graham, and senior Dalton Bearns each knocking-in 2. Myers had an RBI, and freshman Blake Balthrop drew three walks and crossed the plate three times.
7th grader Dalton Markus was the only Falcon with two hits, followed by sophomore Tyler MacKay, sophomore Ahmon Williams, senior Ryan Sollum, and sophomore Nathan Lake with a hit each. MacKay had an RBI, and Markus and Williams each scored once.
In the second game, Hopkinsville got on the board in the bottom of the second when a Snyder single brought home Duvall and Balthrop. The Falcons responded with 3 in their next at-bat on a triple by Markus to score MacKay and Williams, followed by a single by 8th grader Ryan Sawyer to bring Markus home.
An error and an RBI sacrifice fly by Jorgensen gave the Tigers back the lead at 4-3, before the Falcons pulled in front again at 5-4 in the top of the fourth. Williams singled-in MacKay, before an error and two wild pitches allowed Williams to score. In the Tigers’ half of the inning, Balthrop singled-in Crosby and Robert Justus came home after a misplayed pick-off attempt to restore the Tiger lead for good.
Bearns smacked an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, and the Tigers finished the scoring with 3 in the bottom of the sixth, winning 10-5.
Graham earned the win, going 5.0 innings and giving up 5 runs, 3 earned, on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Sophomore Ashton Carter pitched the sixth and seventh innings, striking out four and holding the Falcons to two hits. Sawyer took the loss, battling through 5.1 innings while surrendering 9 runs, 6 earned, on nine hits while striking out two and walking two.
Bearns and Snyder had 2 RBI, with Snyder the only Tiger with two hits. Myers, Balthrop, and Jorgensen each had a hit and an RBI, and Duvall, Crosby, and Justus all hit their way on once.
Williams and Sawyer had two hits and an RBI for the Falcons, Markus had a hit and 2 RBI, and Syester and Lake each posted a hit.
Hopkinsville will look to stay perfect in 8th District play when the host Christian County on Thursday. The Falcons go on the road on Saturday to play Western and Edmonson County.
