(by Don Meador, The Citizen-Times, April 4, 2019)
The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot
baseball team bounced back from a pair of tough losses late last week---to
Greenwood on Thursday and Bowling Green Friday----with a 4-1 win over Daviess
County on Monday in their opening game of a five-game road trip to Florida.
Playing the first of five games against
Kentucky competition in the Sunshine State, the Patriots took advantage of a
strong outing from senior right-hander Hunter Foster and a series of Daviess
County errors to record their third win of the year. Foster tossed a 94-pitch
complete game, giving up one run on four hits. Foster threw 61 strikes in the
contest and registered six strikeouts.
With Foster holding the Panther bats in
check, the Patriot offense struggled to get into the swing of things against a
foursome of Daviess County pitchers. For the game, only Brett Rippy and Tyler
Ford recorded hits however, AC-S was able to plate four runs. The runs were
aided by three Panther errors, a balk, five base-on-balls to AC-S batters, and
three hit batsmen.
Daviess County opened a 1-0 lead in the first with AC-S tying the game in the third inning. In the home half of the sixth, the Patriots added three additional runs. After Aaron Howell reached on an error, Ford singled. After Howell was forced out at third on a fielders’ choice and Colby Lafitte went down on strikes, Matt Brown drew a two-out walk. Zane Ward reached on a pop-fly misplayed by the shortstop. The play allowed Ford to score the second run for AC-S. A balk by the Panthers’ pitcher pushed the Patriots’ third run across. Tristen Brooks and Rippy were hit by pitches---with the second forcing Ward home to give AC-S a 4-1 lead and earning Foster the win.
The victory early Monday morning erased a
part of the pain from a disappointing lost Friday night against a talented
Bowling Green Purple club. The Patriots carried a 4-2 lead to the last of the
seventh inning and was an out away from the win when Bowling Green rallied with
three runs.
In the first, walks by Brooks and Rippy and a single by Howell loaded the bases. Ford’s sacrifice fly plated Brooks with a Foster single scoring Rippy, giving the Patriots a 2-0 lead. Howell shut the Purples down in the first with Lafitte doing the same in the second inning on the mound. Bowling Green used a walk and two singles to tie the game in the third.
The Patriots added their additional two runs in the fifth. Brooks walked with Rippy reaching on a throwing error by the Purples’ third baseman. The error---a throw over the head of the Purples first baseman---allowed Brooks to score from first. Rippy reached third on the play and later score on a ground out by Howell. In the home half of the fifth and sixth, the third Patriot pitcher of the game---senior Zack Ausbrooks---held the Purples in check to give AC-S a 4-2 lead going to the seventh inning.
With two outs in their last at bat, Ausbrooks hit Bowling Green’s Geoffrey Ross. Moments later, Scotty Brown walked. AC-S coach Scott stamper replaced Ausbrooks on the mound with Foster. Eli Burwash singled home Ross. Moments later, Joe Howard ripped a hit to center field to score the winning runs for Bowling Green (7-2).
The loss overshadowed Foster’s and Rippy’s two-for-three days at the plate and the efforts of Howell, Lafitte, and Ausbrooks. The trio worked six-and-two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits.
However, the strong performance against Bowling Green helped erase the sting of Thursday’s 10-run loss to Greenwood (4-3). The Gators scored six runs in the second, added a run in the third, and plated four in the top of the fifth to secure the win. Greenwood’s Mac Ausbrooks tossed a one-hitter---double by Rippy. Defensively, Zane Ward and Matt Brown combined to allow the 11 Gator hits.
After games against Bath County (6-5), Lexington
Christian (6-2), and Madison Central (6-3), the Patriots (3-5) are scheduled to
play Fern Creek (8-1) Friday in Florida to complete their trip south. Next
Tuesday, the Patriots host Glasgow (3-4).