The Hopkinsville Tigers split a pair of games during their first day Monday at the Fort Walton Beach Bash. The Tigers began the day losing a tight 3-1 decision to Fern Creek. Hopkinsville game back after lunch to rout Bath County 11-1 in 6 innings.
In the opener, Fern Creek pitching limited the Tigers to five hits over the seven innings in picking up the win. Fern Creek used a pair of singles and a pair of sacrifice bunts in the top of the 3rd inning to take a 2-0 lead after 2 ½. They extended the lead to 3-0 in the top of the 4th, taking advantage of a Hopkinsville error and a walk to score a run on a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers only run came without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the 6th inning. Landon Snyder walked, stole 2nd and 3rd, and then scored on an error by the Fern Creek catcher to cut the lead to 3-1. However, that would be as close as the Tigers would get, as Fern Creek held on for the win.
John Duval went 2-3 for the Tigers. Ryan Myers, Layne Jorgensen, and Aaron Crosby each had a hit for Hopkinsville.
Robert Justus went the distance for the Tigers, giving up three runs, two of them earned, on six hits, striking out five, while walking four.
Monday afternoon, the Tigers scored nine runs in their final two at-bats to roll past Bath County 11-1. After being limited to five hits in the morning contest, the Hopkinsville bats got going in the afternoon, cranking out 11 base hits.
Hoptown took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Preston Chaudoin. Michael Graham then drew a bases loaded walk to score the second run.
The Wildcats were able to cut the lead in half with a double and a sacrifice fly in the top of the 4th inning.
The Tigers then finished the game with a blitz in the bottom of the 5th and the bottom of the 6th. Hopkinsville scored five runs in the 5th. RBI singles from Aaron Crosby, Landon Snyder, Ryan Myers, and a sacrifice bunt from Caleb Bapp did the damage.
Hopkinsville then closed out the game with four runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to get to the ten run rule. The big hits in the inning were RBI singles from Preston Chaudoin and Blake Balthrop.
Layne Jorgensen and John Duvall were each 2-3, with a pair of runs scored. Preston Chaudoin was 2-3, and drove in a pair of runs. Ryan Myers was 1-3, with two RBIs. Caleb Bapp was 0-1, but drove in two runs and scored a run.
On the mound, Zach Caudill gave the Tigers six solid innings, giving up just the one run, on four hits, striking out four, while walking only one.
