YSE File Photo
A nine-game losing streak, dating back to last spring, has ended for the Fort Campbell High School baseball squad. With a 10-6 home defeat of Russellville on Monday, the Falcons earned their first victory of the season and reached the win column for the first time since defeating Heritage Christian Academy on May 9, 2022.
It was the top of the FCHS order that set the tone in the decisive win, as Ethan Egner, Aidan Blaszkowski and Jayden Swann respectively delivered monster performances from the first, second, and third spots in the order. Each had two hits and combined for five runs and a pair of RBI. Six different Falcons had hits.
Egner was also sensational on the mound. Making his first start of 2023, he lasted 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight He also allowed just two hits, two walks, and one earned run — an RBI groundout that brought home Lamarcus Hickman with one out in the top of the fourth.
The Falcons wasted no time getting started in the drought-ending triumph. After Egner struck out the Russellville side in order to start the contest, Fort Campbell got consecutive singles from Egner and Blaszkowski, and one of four Panther errors to make it 1-0 early. Blaszkowski later scored on a wild pitch and Swann scored on an Adam Harrington RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead in the first.
Up 3-1, FCHS struck for five more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, highlighted by Thomas Roach’s RBI double and Swann’s two-out, run-scoring single to left. The Falcons finished with four hits, including two extra-base hits, during that inning to take complete control. Colton Ramos made it 9-1 on a sacrifice fly and Blaszkowski put his team up 10-1, both in the fifth.
Fort Campbell (1-4) was credited with 11 stolen bases in the win, led by four from Swann, a trio by Harrington, and two more from Blaszkowski. Egner was lifted after allowing two runs and loading the bases in the top of the sixth inning, but eighth-grader Noah Herron eventually entered to get a clutch strikeout and eventually went 1 1/3 innings to earn the four-out save.
The Panthers (0-5), who are now in the midst of their own seven-game slide, fought back in a big way by scoring five runs in the top of the sixth inning. Eric Zamarripa and JaCoveon Temple-Dickerson both drew bases-loaded walks to pull within 10-6 of the Falcons, but Swann fanned Hickman to get out of the jam.
The Falcons will play their third straight home game and will be looking for their second win in a row when Heritage Christian Academy (0-1) comes to the post for a showdown Tuesday. The Warriors lost their season opener 19-4 against Hopkins County Central on March 16 but haven’t played since.
