In a battle of team aces, Trigg County’s Isaac Peca pitched six innings of no-hit baseball and the Wildcats did just enough to hold on and get a 3-2 win over Crittenden County in the district baseball semifinals Monday in Cadiz.
For Peca, it’s been a frustrating season as some arm soreness has limited him to 19 innings and five games. But with the green light to pitch Monday, Peca was lights out on the mound. The Wildcat senior struck out 12 batters and didn’t allow a hit one batter into the seventh inning. He was forced to depart the game because he was three pitches shy of the 120-max pitch rule the KHSAA uses.
After Peca walked the leadoff batter prior to his departure, Aaron Despain came in relief and allowed the Rockets’ first hit — a single to Tyler Belt.
Logan Bailey was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs in a 3-0 game. Evan Belt scored Seth Guess on a ground out to second base.
Despain then struck out Maddux Carlson, who came into the game batting .629 with five homers. However, a balk got Crittenden to within 3-2. Despain coaxed a game-ending flyout by Ben Evans to end the game and notch the save.
Carlson matched Peca nearly pitch for pitch. He struck out nine and scattered six hits.
Trigg pushed across the game’s first run in the fourth inning when Stephan Audas singled snd moved to third on a Jay Humphries double. A relay throw went into the Trigg dugout and Audas was awarded home.
Peca helped himself out in the fifth inning when he singled with two outs. Courtesy runner Riley Thompson stole second and scored on Matthew Leeper’s double to extend the lead to 2-0.
Trigg added a key insurance run in the sixth inning. Tyler Ahart reached on an error, stole second, and moved to third on a strikeout. Trevor Terrell hit a sacrifice fly that scored Ahart’s with Trigg’s third run.
The win moves Trigg County to 13-17 with its fourth straight win. It also puts the Wildcats into the region tournament for the first time in four years, ending the program’s longest region drought since 2002-05.
Trigg County will play Lyon County in Tuesday’s championship. Lyon beat Livingston Central 15-3 in the other semifinal. Tuesday’s championship game will begin at 6 pm.
