Former Caldwell County standout and Rend Lake pitcher Gabe East threw three innings of one-hit baseball and picked up the win in Monday’s Kentucky Prospects Collegiate Baseball League matchup at Brooks Stadium in Paducah.
East’s National team trailed 4-3 when he took the mound in the fourth inning, but East left the game with a 7-4 lead. The National squad went up 8-4 before the American team tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth with three runs but fell just short in the 8-7 decision.
East threw 36 pitches in his three innings of work, striking out four and not allowing a walk.
East was the beneficiary of a four-run fifth inning by the National team offense.
Up 7-4, the National side tacked on another run in the top of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly to left by Jonah Brannon (Calloway County High School/Murray State University).
That run proved pivotal in the bottom of the ninth, when the American team scored three times before a ground ball to third finally ended the contest.
Another former Caldwell County and Rend Lake product, Bryce Thomas, tripled home two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it a two-run game. He later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Eric Riffe (Paducah Tilghman/Western Kentucky University) to make it a one-run contest before the National team held on for the victory.
Thomas, who is headed to Northern Kentucky University, finished 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, three runs scored and three stolen bases for the American team.
Jackson Fitzgerald (Paducah Tilghman/Union College) was 2-for-3 and scored twice for the National team while Logan Verble (McCracken County/Southeastern Illinois) was 2-for-4.
The American squad was hurt by six errors in the contest. Only three of the National team’s eight runs were earned.
The Kentucky Prospects Collegiate Baseball League continues Thursday night in Paducah.
