Pleasure Ridge Park and Bullitt Central baseball to meet in Sixth Region Tournament final
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Bullitt Central qualified for a regional final for the first time in program history. The Cougars made the Eighth Region final in 1992.
Three decades since winning back-to-back state championships as a baseball player at Pleasure Ridge Park High School, head coach Brad Burns wants his current players to have the same thrill.
“You just want to help these guys experience what you got to experience,” said Burns, a 1995 PRP graduate who helped the Panthers win championships in 1994 and 1995. “That’s all I care about. That’s the main goal.”
PRP moved a step closer Tuesday, getting a solid pitching performance from senior Tanor Fentress in a 6-2 victory over North Bullitt in the semifinals of the Sixth Region Tournament at the University of Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium.
Winner of six state championships, PRP is in the regional final for the first time since 2019. The No. 5-ranked Panthers (35-3) will face Bullitt Central at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a spot in the state tournament on the line.
Burns praised his team’s consistency throughout the season. The Panthers will take a nine-game winning streak into the regional final.
“We knew we’d have a good team coming back,” Burns said. “We knew we’d have some talent. What’s surprised us is the longevity of our pitching. We’ve gone deeper in games than we have in the past. That’s taken some pressure off and allowed us not to have to tax arms.”
Freshman Joey Dudeck (8-0) went the distance in Monday’s 4-3 quarterfinal victory over Bullitt East, and Fentress (7-1) did the same against North Bullitt on Tuesday.
The right-hander allowed six hits and struck out five.
“Fastball worked really good today,” Fentress said. “Threw my slider good enough to get by … but in the last innings, especially, I got in a groove. Just get back to the mound and get back to the mound and throw the next pitch.”
PRP broke open a 2-2 game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Panthers had just one hit in the inning but took advantage of three walks, a hit batter and an Eagles error.
Deuce Harris scored on an error to give PRP a 3-2 lead, and a bases-loaded walk to Brayden Bruner made it 4-2. Cooper Burkhardt delivered a sacrifice fly, and Bruner scored on a wild pitch for a 6-2 advantage.
Burkhardt’s sacrifice fly was the third of the game for PRP.
“I wasn’t surprised by that today,” Burns said. “They’ve been doing that all year. … We have some of the best kids I’ve ever been around. They want to win, and they’re willing to do the things it takes to win high school baseball games.”
North Bullitt stranded five runners in scoring position over the first four innings but still was in the game before PRP’s big fifth inning.
“One bad inning,” said Eagles coach Brian Wise, whose team finished 23-15. “There was a little bit of bad luck, and they small-balled us a little bit, which is what they’ve done for a long time. If we clean that up, we might still be playing.”
NORTH BULLITT 101 000 0 - 2 6 4
PLEASURE RIDGE PARK 100 140 x - 6 6 0
WP – Tanor Fentress (7-1). LP – Baron Williams (5-2).
Bullitt Central 5, Fern Creek 2
Pitchers Grayson Reichert and Henry Zimmerman combined to allow just two hits and helped the Cougars (25-12-1) beat the Tigers (18-15) and reach a regional final for the first time in 32 years.
Bullitt Central lost to North Bullitt 11-8 in the Eighth Region final in 1992.
“I knew this year we’d have a chance, depending on how the rest of the region shook out,” said coach Chris Ryan, whose Cougars set a single-season school record for wins earlier this week. “Like I told them, we have a chance now.”
Up 1-0, Bullitt Central scored four runs in the fourth inning to take control. Beau Cook drew a bases-loaded walk, and Reichert delivered an RBI single. An error and a passed ball led to two more runs.
“Our best baseball this year, at times, has been small ball,” Ryan said. “We have guys who can hit the ball a long way, but on this field a 310-foot home run doesn’t apply.”
Bullitt Central avenged an 11-10 loss to Fern Creek in last year’s Sixth Region semifinals. The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
Friday’s regional final will be a rematch from May 2, when PRP beat Bullitt Central 4-1.
“I don’t think we’re scared of them,” Ryan said. “I think that’s a good thing. We have an opportunity, and we have to make the most of it.”
FERN CREEK 000 020 0 - 2 2 3
BULLITT CENTRAL 010 400 x - 5 6 3
WP – Grayson Reichert (4-3). LP – Aiden Newton (6-2). Save – Henry Zimmerman (2).
KHSAA softball: Mercy and Butler to meet again in 6th Region Tournament championship
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA baseball: PRP vs Bullitt Central for 6th Region championship
