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    The Allen County-Scottsville Patriots’ run to their second consecutive regional title almost reads like a Hollywood script. Yet, screen writers would have had a hard time coming up with a storyline as exciting as the one that was played out---in real life----during last week’s regional semi-final and final game. 

    ACS won both games----a win over Cumberland County in the semi’s and Russell County in the championship game----by identical 4-3 scores. Each game went to an extra eighth inning. Still, the truly amazing part---and the part that made ACS fans feel as if they were in the movie “Groundhog Day”---was that the winning run was forced home after AC-S batters were awarded first base as a result of bring hit by pitches. 

   Against Cumberland County, an inside ball thrown by the Panther pitcher plunked the hip of senior Patriot Derrick Harwood with the bases loaded. Two nights later, Russell County’s delivered an inside pitch that---despite Drew Anderson’s reflective action---hit the AC-S junior on the helmet. Again the bases were full sending Anderson to first and team mate Brian Jones to home plate to score the run that sent AC-S to state baseball tournament’s round of 16. 

    Amidst the tale of the two hit batsmen, the Patriots road to back-to-back regional title included errors, dynamic home runs, good pitching, little known baseball pitching rules, and a bit of controversy.

   The semi-final match-up against Cumberland County pitted the Patriots against a Panther team that had quietly posted an impressive 21-11 record. ACS opened a 1-0 lead before the Patriots gave the Burkesville nine a gift.

    “We gave them three runs,” coach Kerry Harwood explained, referring to Cumberland County’s third inning. “We had a boot that gave them the first run and then Jones had a two run error.” 

   The Patriot miscues enabled the District 16 runner-up to gain momentum in the close game last Tuesday. Yet, the Patriots began to battle back aided by the hitting of senior Joel Steele.

    Steele answered the Panther’s two run by blasting a solo home run in the home half of the third. Two innings later, after team mate Derrick Harwood reached on a hit, Steele ripped a single to the outfield---a hit that allowed courtesy runner Anthony Graves to race home with the tying run. 

    The game would stay knotted until the bottom of the eighth due in part to ACS’s inability to get runners home---AC-S left 13 runners on base in the game—and to the pitching of Derrick Harwood. .The senior kept the Panthers in check most of the game by allowing eight hits in his eight innings of work. 

   “Derrick’s has played and pitched in big games before for us," coach Harwood noted. “Derrick did a great job keeping them off balance. He kept us in the game.” 

   Wile Derrick Harwood’s pitching arm kept AC-S in the game, it would be another part of the senior’s body that played just as big of a role---the hip. In the bottom of the eighth, Luka Oliphant reached base as did Patriots’ Andy Caldwell and Brian Jones. With the bases loaded, Harwood stepped to the plate to face a hard throwing Cumberland County relief pitcher. 

  “We knew we had who we wanted at the plate,” coach Harwood said. “(Cumberland County’s) Coach Miller decided to go with the knuckle ball pitcher and he lost that one pitch. We’ll take it any way we can get it.” 

   The pitch cut into Harwood’s body—a hit that sent him to first and brought Oliphant home with the game-winning run. 

   With the excitement of the semi-final win under their belts, the Patriots entered Wednesday nights’ championship looking to drown the hopes of Russell County---a regional new comer that was looking to start their Fourth Region stay with a bang. But it was Mother Nature that provided the bang and the drowning—or perhaps drenching. 

   In the third inning, a spring time “toad frog strangler” put an end to the night’s action---washing out the game and washing away what had turned into an outstanding mound effort by Steele. 

   “Joel was probably throwing as well as we had seen him throw all year,” coach Harwood said. “He was in a zone, he was focused, and he was concentrating. He threw three great innings and only gave up one hit.”

   In addition, a KHSAA pitching rule says that if a pitcher throws three innings, the pitcher has to set out a day from pitching. The rule applies even if games are interrupted by rain. Hence, Steele was out of the contest when play resumed Thursday afternoon at the point the game was stopped. That being the case, coach Harwood put the ball into the hands of senior Ryne Towe.

    “I can not say enough about the competitive spirit of Ryne Towe,” coach Harwood added. “May 2 against Glasgow was the last time he had been on the hill. We wanted to put it in the hands of a senior, someone that has been in big games before and Ryne did an excellent job.”

   Towe was on in the game, throwing five innings and allowing three hits. The right hander kept the Lakers guessing.

   “We talked as a coaching staff that if Ryne could shut them down in the fourth and fifth inning, we thought that we would rally around him,” coach Harwood pointed out. “That’s exactly what happened.” 

   Russell County countered with Jeron Dumbar who held the Patriots in check until the bottom of the sixth inning. Solid singles by Andy Caldwell and Brian Jones and a Russell County error helped AC-S open a 3-0 lead. The Lakers answered in the top of the seventh. After a throwing error allowed a Laker base runner, Towe threw a pitch that Russell County’s Matt McFarland turned on for a two run blast. Seconds later, the Lakers repeated the feat as Aaron Flanagan lifted a Towe pitch out of the yard to tie the game at three. What Coach Harwood saw next was a sign of a veteran ball club. 

   “I asked the coaches if I needed to go out and talk to the team,” coach Harwood pointed out, “but, I looked up and our seniors were on the mound. They were doing their own thing. Then, Ryne goes out and gets five consecutive outs.”

   Behind Towe’s pitching, the Patriots stopped the bleeding by retiring the Lakers final two batters in the seventh and each Russell County hitter in the top of the eighth to set the stage for fireworks in AC-S’s final at bat. 

   Jones’ opened the bottom of the eighth with a hit. With Derrick Harwood in the batter’s box, Laker relief pitcher Trevor Roy attempted to pick Jones off at first. The throw bounded past first allowing Jones to race to second. The ball rolled into a dead ball area at which time the umpires ruled that Jones should be awarded third---much to the dissatisfaction of Laker coach David Rexroat. Despite Rexroat heated argument that Jones should stay at second, when play resumed, Jones was at third. 

   Rexroat countered by instructing Roy to tell the plate umpire that he desired to intentionally walk Harwood and Steele, thus loading the bases to set up a force out at any bag.

   “I had all the confidence in the world in Scooter (Higdon) and Drew (Anderson) to just put the ball in play,” coach Harwood added. “All the pressure was on Russell County.”

   After Higdon struck out, Anderson stepped in and found himself quickly behind in the count. Then, Roy elected to attempt a high inside pitch—a pitch that gleamed off Anderson helmet. The play was dead, Anderson was awarded first, the runners moved up, Jones scored the game winning run and AC-S had a date in the state tournament for a second straight year. 

   “Drew tried to get out of the way,” coach Harwood said. “Drew battled with the pitcher and had a good at bat. Then, the pitcher came inside.”

   Ironically, ACS (26-4) will now travel to Russell County---awarded the bid last fall to host the semi-state---for a best two out of three series against the winner of the third region, Daviess County. The Panthers are 27-6 and will be entering semi-state play after downing Ohio County, Meade County and Hancock County in the regional.  Among the Panthers wins this year have been victories over fourth region teams Warren Central, Franklin-Simpson, Barren County and Bowling Green. Coach Harwood notes that the Patriots will see a very talented Panther team.

   “Daviess County has a 21-game winning streak,” coach Harwood stated. “They have two good starting pitchers. We are expecting to see their ace the first night and he brings the ball pretty good. They have good team speed and they are on a roll.” 

   However, coach Harwood is quick to point out that he feels his team will be able to compete with the Panthers. 

   “We have to get back to playing our brand of baseball,” coach Harwood said. “We want to play pitch by pitch and worry about what we do and not what they will do.” 

    The Patriots and Panthers will play at 7:00 p.m. (CST) Wednesday. The series resumes Thursday at 7:00 with a third game—if needed---slated for Friday at 7:00. The series winner moves on to the single elimination final eight next week in Lexington.