The Second Region baseball race is like the bumper cars at a fair. A car goes straight ahead until it gets rammed from the side or behind. Or even the front. Just when you think you are in the clear, BAM. Someone else gets you.
There are no more unbeaten teams in the region after Henderson County shut out Christian County. Some would say that should move the northern Colonels ahead of the southern Colonels in the YSE Super 7. When a team beats Christian County with Wyatt Stevenson or Lane Diuguid on the mound, then we will talk.
But Henderson County remains the intrigue of the region given their offense. And Lyon County remains the sleeper after winning the All-A Region and Sectional titles.
1) Christian County (8-5, LW – No. 1) – The Colonels have games with UHA and Muhlenberg County upcoming before a measuring-stick trip to the Louisville Invitational Tournament. Wyatt Stevenson has allowed two earned runs in four games on the mound, and Lane Diuguid hasn’t allowed a run to score in 16 innings. That’s why the Colonels keep the top spot in this week’s YSE Baseball Super 7.
2) Henderson County (11-9, LW – No. 2) – The Colonels would have slipped to No. 3 this week after a 17-5 loss to Hopkinsville, but their win over Christian County and two-game sweep of Union County keeps them in the No. 2 spot for now. Ian Pitt and Jake Murdach have a combined 10 HRs and 36 RBIs. However, their team ERA is 5.84 which makes them a candidate for upset in the postseason.
3) Hopkinsville (10-4, LW – No. 4) – Despite a loss to Caldwell County, Hoptown was set to move into the No. 2 spot. You could actually rank Henderson County 2A and Hopkinsville 2B. Upcoming games with Paducah Tilghman, Lyon County, and Trigg County will determine whether Hopkinsville keeps par with Henderson or slips.
4) Lyon County (13-5, LW – No. 5) – The Lyons are the hottest team in the region thanks to a nine-game winning streak. Their last loss to a Kentucky team was against Henderson County on March 29. Before heading to Owensboro for the All-A Classic State Tournament next weekend, the Lyons will play Hopkinsville and district foes Livingston Central and Crittenden County.
5) Madisonville (8-6, LW – No. 6) – After losing to Hopkinsville, the Maroons rebounded with an 8-inning win over Union County. Blake Reynolds (0.69 ERA) compliments Alex Gray (4-2, 1.70 ERA) nicely at the top of the Maroon rotation. Jon Hogart is blistering the ball at the plate to the tune of a .667 average.
6) Union County (10-7, LW – No. 3) – After playing 12 straight games away from home while their stadium underwent renovations, the Braves are 2-2 at their refurbished digs. Getting swept by Henderson County in two games and a loss to Madisonville drop the Braves to No. 6 this week. Only Christian County has a stronger top-two in the rotation than Union County’s Coy Burns (1.95 ERA, 46 Ks) and Cade Duncan (2.23 ERA, 31Ks). Their team ERA of 2.26 is why you can’t overlook the Braves, but makes you wonder why they are just 10-7.
7) Caldwell County (8-7, LW – NR) – The Tigers have won three of four games with their lone loss coming to Lyon County in a walk-off. Caldwell is hitting .343 as a team, led by Tate VanHooser’s three homers and .457 average. Caldwell needs to find a stopper on the mound if they are to vault into the top five.
