Pikeville’s Dylan Thompson stopped Lyon County’s run through the All A Classic baseball tournament.
The sophomore left-hander struck out seven and allowed just three base hits as his Panthers advanced to the state championship game with a 3-1 win Sunday at Eastern Kentucky University’s Earle Combs Stadium.
Lyon (18-4) got off to a good start on Brody Williams’ bomb in the bottom of the first inning. The no-doubter easily left the ballpark in left field and staked the Lyons to a 1-0 lead.
Pikeville (18-7) struck back with two runs with two outs in the top of the third. A perfectly-placed bloop single inside the right-field line by Bradyn Hall tied the game. The ball found the Bermuda Triangle between right-fielder Aiden Waters, second baseman John Ryder and first baseman Jackson Shoulders.
Tate Walters then tripled into the right-field corner to put Pikeville up 2-1. Waters covered a lot of ground and nearly came up with a spectacular catch, but the ball went off his glove and rolled into the corner.
The Panthers added an insurance run in the top of the fifth inning — again scoring with two outs. With runners on first and third, Pikeville pulled off a double steal, with Walters beating the throw to the plate on the play.
Lyon put a man on base in each of the final three innings but could not chase them home.
Eli Baker pitched well for Lyon in a losing effort. The freshman right-hander allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
After the first-inning homer by Williams, Lyon’s only other two hits in the game came from Brady Belt, who finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
Walters was 2-for-4 for Pikeville.
After making the trip home from Richmond to western Kentucky Sunday afternoon, the Lyons will return to action on Monday with a home 5th District date against Livingston Central.
