‘Long’ Ball Lifts Lyon Over Hoptown 4-2 and Into Regional Final

Had there been a high school baseball season in 2020, Hopkinsville and Lyon County figured to be among the best teams in the 2nd Region.

A year later, the teams finally hooked up in the semifinals, with Lyon knocking out the 2019 region champs 4-2 Sunday night in action at Hopkinsville High School.

The Lyons (27-7) advance to the championship game Monday night, where they will face Henderson County (22-14) at 7 p.m. in a game scheduled at University Heights Academy.

Wet weather forced Sunday’s semis to be moved from UHA to Hoptown.

Hopkinsville (22-10) got an early jump on Lyon, taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads.

But Lyon used a three-run fourth inning to grab the upper hand, then rode the stellar pitching of senior right-hander Austin Long into the championship game.

Long went the distance on the mound, allowing one earned run on four base hits while striking out three and walking just two.

A Lyon error led to the first run of the game. Hopkinsville’s Zach Moss singled to center with two outs in the top of the first to put the Tigers up 1-0.

Lyon drew even in the bottom of the third. A leadoff double by Brady Darnall got things going. He scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Aidan Rush.

Hoptown went back in front 2-1 in the top of the fourth. A one-out double by Tim Cansler and a two-out single to center by Balthrop produced a run to put the Tigers up a run.

Long tied the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to right as part of Lyon’s three-run fourth. Darnall singled home another run to give Lyon the lead for the first time. Rush then singled to center to drive in another run and make it 4-2.

Long retired Hopkinsville in order in the fifth and sixth innings to preserve that two-run advantage.

Hoptown got a one-out walk from Landon Cook in the top of the seventh to get the potential tying run to the plate. But Long got a strikeout and a ground ball to first to end the game.

Darnall went 3-for-3 for Lyon while Rush finished 2-for-2 and knocked in two. Christian O’Daniel was 2-for-3.

Preston Chaudoin started on the mound for Hopkinsville but left with two outs in the third with an apparent elbow problem. Logan Durst pitched the rest of the way and suffered the loss.