LaRue County’s Hawks (18-5) notched their third straight varsity baseball victory as they battered Barren County 5-3 at Glasgow Thursday.
“We played superb defense,” said Chris Price, LaRue’s coach. “We got timely hitting and a great performance out of Aaron Mayfield on the mound with Nick Williams doing an outstanding job for the save.”
Mayfield, a senior, picked up his seventh win of the season against only one loss. In six innings, he fanned five, gave up three earned runs on eight hits and walked one. Williams entered in relief in the seventh.
Both teams scored one run in the first inning. LaRue jumped in front with two runs in the third and added two more in the fifth. The Trojans, who also tallied two runs in the fifth, outhit LaRue 9-8.
Mayfield aided his cause with a double and two singles. He drove in three runs and scored one. Curtis Cox and Christian Seymour each rapped two singles and scored two runs.
Top seed
The Hawks clinched the number one seed in the upcoming 18th District Tournament by slashing Hart County 11-5 at Munfordville April 30.
“Hart had 12 hits and we really had trouble getting them out,” Price said. “Lane Smith did a great job for us coming in for four innings in relief and getting his first varsity win.”
Cox set a single-season school record for steals, upping his total to 35 with three stolen bases against the Raiders. He also drove in a run on a single and scored twice.
LaRue held a 5-3 edge until the top of the sixth when they erupted for six runs.
The Hawks outhit the Raiders 13-12. Mayfield drove in a run, doubled, hit two singles, scored three runs, and stole base four times. Junior Tyler Hornback rapped two singles, scored twice, stole two bases, and totaled two RBIs. Vass drove in two runs on a single.
Smith (1-0) gave up one earned run as a reliever for senior Keaton Gardner, the starter. Smith gave up four hits and walked two. Shawn Seymour relieved Smith in the seventh.
Price praised several Hawks’ big plays: Cox threw a runner out at first on what looked like a base hit to right. Christian Seymour threw out a runner at the plate on a base hit and made a diving play in center. Williams fired the ball in quickly on a double and relayed to get a runner out at second.
Caverna conked
LaRue tallied 10 runs in the second inning as they smothered Caverna 25-1 in five innings April 29 at Hodgenville. In the past 15 innings, the Hawks have scored 52 runs.
The Hawks opened the bottom of the first with five runs, then added four in the third and six more in the fourth inning on 16 hits.
Playing errorless ball, LaRue saw Caverna score its only run in the top of the fourth inning on a solo home run.
“Errors are what let us down this past weekend and we took some extra time correcting that today before the game,” said Price.
Hornback, going the first three innings on the mound, gained his sixth win without a loss, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. Caleb Cobb relieved him in the fourth and Curtis Cox came on in the fifth.
Max McCubbin tripled for the Hawks. Mayfield, Ethan Whitlock, and Scott Cox each doubled.
“We are doing a pretty good job right now producing runs through hits, patience at the plate (walks), running the bases, and quality at bats (moving runners),” Price said.
Girls’ tennis team defeats Bardstown
LaRue County High School’s girls’ tennis team finished with a win and a loss last week to leave them 14-2 on the season.
The team honored its players, boys and girls, who are soon to graduate with a Tennis Senior Recognition Day April 29. They are Kristyn Brey, Terry Caven, Shelby Haun, Maggie Russell and Shawn Seymour. Foreign exchange student Supasit “Prince” Tantiwong was also honored.
“These seniors have been the core of our tennis success the last four years and have set an example for the younger players with character and being a winner,” said Estes. “They will be a hard act to follow.”
Panthers roll
Elizabethtown shut out the Lady Hawks 5-0 April 30 at the University Drive Park tennis courts in E’town.
Singles: Amanda Young def. Brey 6-2, 6-2; Jenna Sallee def. Amelia Miller 6-0, 6-0; Ni Ni Shen def. Abby Sullivan 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles: Haun/Seymour def. Erin Jones/Alyssa Stone 6-0, 6-1; Canter/Howell def. Adrian Jones/Michael Whilhite 6-0, 6-1; Miller/Simpson def. Moe Muto/Elise Jones 6-2, 6-2.
Lady Hawks upset Campbellsville
Green County held LaRue to only two hits as the 18th District softball foe shut out the Lady Hawks 5-0 at Hodgenville Thursday.
“We weren’t fired up to play; we let their pitcher control us; we didn’t go up there to hit,” said Mielle DiStefano, LaRue’s coach. “(Brittany) Enlow pitched a great game for us again, but our defense just didn’t help her out.”
The eighth grader struck out five Lady Dragons, gave up four hits, two earned runs, and walked one.
Junior Megan Mauldin and freshman Lyndsay Whitlock each rapped singles for LaRue. Green notched four hits, but played errorless ball while the Lady Hawks (11-8, 4-2) committed five miscues.
“You have to beat everyone at district time, so we are not really worried about who we play,” DiStefano said of the upcoming district tourney where LaRue will be a second or third seed. “We will be ready.”
Breck boogies
Breckinridge County led by a single run through two innings before bursting open the game with eight runs in the top of the third to shut out LaRue 11-0 April 29 at Hodgenville.
The Lady Tigers clawed out nine hits while limiting the Lady Hawks to a single.
“No matter how tired we were from the Taylor County game, the effort has to be there, and we just stood around and didn’t get routine balls,” said DiStefano. “The coaching staff talked to the girls about effort; you don’t have to be the most talented player to give effort.”
LaRue’s Casi Bright belted the one-bagger in the fifth inning.
Enlow (8-7) gave up nine hits and three earned runs. LaRue totaled nine errors.
DiStefano said, “Enlow only gave up three earned runs; you’ve got to give it to her – she is working hard and giving us balls we need to catch and make the routine plays.”
“This is the second time after a big emotional win we have turned around and been flat, and I don’t like that,” said Coach D. “I asked them if this is how we are going to respond in postseason.”
Taylor toppled
That emotional win to which she was referring was a 15-14 victory over Taylor County at Campbellsville April 28.
“This was anyone’s game to win,” said DiStefano. “The main factor was that we never gave up, we just kept fighting.”
With two outs, LaRue rallied for six runs in the last inning to claim the win.
“That says a lot about the girls,” said DiStefano. “They were determined to win, stealing on dead balls; I think everybody stepped up and did their job and there’s so many girls you could give a game ball to.”
She described the desire to win in cold weather on a muddy field, “I sure did love when one of the Whitlocks charged into third head first. She came up with nothing but mud all over her, and the biggest smile you will ever see. That’s what it’s all about. I knew then that we weren’t losing this one.”
