University Heights Academy’s bid for its first 5-0 start to a baseball season since 2004 ended in a wild extra-inning affair Thursday, as the Blazers were edged 2-1 by host Murray High School.
UHA tied the game at 1-all shortly after Gavin Laronge lined a single into right field to start the sixth inning. He later took second on a sacrifice bunt from Nic Luckey, advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and brought the road contest all square on Ryan Luckey’s RBI groundout.
The Blazers appeared poised to cap their comeback effort by loading the bases in the seventh inning, but Tigers starting pitcher Carson Garner got Ben Stone to line out into a double play that ended the threat. The host Tigers managed to put a runner on with a two-out single, but Heights reliever Ian Tyler came up with a clutch strikeout to send the game to extras.
Base runners were at a premium during the three extra innings that were played. UHA drew a walk in the eighth, another in the ninth, and two in the tenth, but never had anyone advance beyond second. In the 10th, Jack Elmore swung at the first pitch he saw and dropped a lead-off single into left. Four batters later, Elmore came around to score the game-winning run on a two-out, walk-off single by Carson Tucker.
University Heights battled the duration of the contest and got another strong outing from its stable of pitchers. Tyler allowed just one hit, walked none, and struck out three in three innings of relief. He, starting pitcher Jackson Flynn (2 IP), Jaiden Miles (IP), and Josh Pace (2 IP) combined to allow just three hits and three walks in the first eight innings.
Blazer freshman Bryson Turner was the tough-luck loser after allowing just two hits and one run in 1 2/3 innings. Murray High (2-3) got eight strong innings from Garner, who scattered three hits, struck out five and gave up just one run. Cody Garner and Dylan Jennings pitched the final two for the Tigers, allowing no hits and the aforementioned trio of walks.
UHA (4-1) will attempt to start a new winning streak March 28 at Webster County. The Blazers were scheduled to take on Christian County on March 26 at Colonel Field; according to the KHSAA website, however, that game has been postponed “due to weather.” CCHS is 3-3 and plays again this weekend.
