After a slow start at the plate to start the season, the Hopkinsville Tigers’ bats have awakened over the last few games. But despite 12 runs on Saturday against visiting Logan County, the Tigers were undone by nine errors in an eight-inning loss.
The Tigers’ 16-12 setback stops a two-game winning run and leaves them at 3-4 with a trip to Henderson County coming up on Monday. Hoptown topped the Colonels 7-1 on Friday behind a 16-strikeout effort by pitcher Preston Chaudoin.
The Tigers led 2-0 on Saturday after Landon Cook’s RBI single in the bottom of the 1st inning, but Logan County pulled even on Connor Binkley’s double to bring in a pair of runs in the top of the 3rd.
The Cougars took their first lead on Davin Yates’ RBI double, and they led 5-3 after another run came in on a Tiger error.
Four-consecutive RBI singles in the bottom of the 4th put the Tigers back on top 7-5, but Logan answered with a pair of runs in its half of the 5th to tie it up.
After Zach Moss’ single scored two in the bottom of the 5th for Hoptown, the Cougars climbed back in front at 10-9 on a two-run error and a pick-off attempt that went awry with the bases loaded.
Enter Hopkinsville sophomore catcher Lucas Kaetzel. In the bottom of the 6th, with a runner on 2nd, Kaetzel picked the perfect time to collect his first varsity hit when he deposited a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence to put the Tigers three outs away from a dramatic victory.
However, another Tiger miscue brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the top of the 7th, and the Cougars capitalized with an RBI double by Binkley and a run-scoring single for Harper Butler.
Hoptown pushed a run across in its final at-bat to force extra innings, but it was all Logan County in the 8th. Joseph Boor issued walks to the first two batters he faced, and Yates singled in the go-ahead run. A bases-loaded walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a fielder’s choice tacked on three more runs for the final margin.
Keaton Slaughter earned the win on the mound for the Cougars, allowing a run on a hit with two walks and three strikeouts over 2.1 innings. Yates and Binkley each had a pair of hits and drove in three runs for Logan.
Chaudoin and Moss led the Tigers with three hits each. Moss drove in three, and Boor had two hits and two RBI.
