Aces rally to beat Red Devils
The Owensboro Catholic High School baseball team erupted for 15 unanswered runs over the final three innings to rally for a 15-7 victory over district rival Owensboro on Tuesday at Shifley Park’s Jack Hicks Field.
The Aces (20-5, 5-1 9th District), fresh off of winning the All ‘A’ Classic state tournament over the weekend, took the lead with nine runs in the top of the fifth inning and never looked back.
Trailing by seven runs with two outs already on the board, Catholic’s Eli Blair started the rally after being hit by a pitch. Houston Flynn doubled, and Blair scored on an Owensboro error during Jaxson White’s at-bat to give the Aces their first run. Brady Atwell clubbed an RBI single, Deuce Sims drew a walk, Christopher Burns drilled a two-RBI line drive to right field, Sims scored on another OHS error during Barrett Evans’s at-bat, Parker Heistand walked, Burns scored on a wild pitch, Mason Moser walked, and Blair was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the contest at 7-7.
The next batter, Flynn, drove in two runs with a base hit to give Catholic a 9-7 advantage.
The Aces added two runs in the top of the sixth — Heistand clubbed an RBI single, and Evans scored after getting on with a double — to build an 11-7 lead.
Catholic put the exclamation point on its outing with a quartet of scores in the seventh, with Atwell leading off with a double before Sims belted a home run to center field. Burns singled before Evans hit an RBI double and later scored to provide the final margin.
The Red Devils (11-8, 1-4) jumped out to an early lead in the opening frame when, with two outs, Cayden Ray singled, advanced to second base on a passed ball and scored on Ty Ashley’s RBI base hit.
OHS plated two more runs in the bottom of the second after loading the bases with no outs. Brady Benjamin walked, and Trevor DeLacey and Will Rickard both singled before Evan Hampton’s RBI base hit and Lake Wilson’s bases-loaded walk gave the Devils a 3-0 edge.
In the fourth frame, Owensboro extended its advantage to 7-0 behind RBI singles from Wilson and Ray, who later scored on a wild pitch and an error, respectively — setting the stage for the Aces’ late flurry.
Burns went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs for Catholic; Evans finished 2-for-5 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI; Sims went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs; Flynn went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run; Atwell was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI, and Heistand added two hits with an RBI.
Ray led Owensboro offensively, going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. DeLacey went 2-for-3 with a run, and Wilson tallied a pair of RBIs.
The victory was the fifth in a row and the 10th in the last 11 outings for the Catholic, which returns to action Thursday with a trip to Greenwood. OHS will play again Wednesday in a district tilt at home against Apollo.
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WP-J. Evans. LP-Ray. 2B-B. Evans 2, Atwell, Flynn (OC). HR-Sims (OC).
