Facing Lafayette on Sunday in their first game of the Fort Walton Beach Bash, the Hopkinsville Tigers were undone by a pair of four-run innings in a 9-3 defeat to the Generals.
The programs had only met once previously, with Hopkinsville prevailing 3-1 in a game played at McCracken County in 2016.
JJ Thompson started on the mound for the Tigers and walked three and allowed a single hit over the first three innings before running into trouble in the 4th.
With two on and two out, Rantz Payton singled in a run to put the Generals on top. Conner Mahoney followed with a two-run single, and an errant pick-off attempt allowed another run to score for a 4-0 advantage.
However, after back-to-back singles by Thomas Hallmark and Andrew Mayes in the top of the 3rd, the Tigers cut the lead in half on Chase Fort’s two-run double.
Hallmark relieved Thompson on the mound to start the 5th, but Lafayette’s Burkley Bounds blasted the second pitch of the inning over the left-field fence for a 5-2 score.
Hopkinsville loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 6th but could only push one run across, and Lafayette put the game out of reach in its next at-bat.
A run on a passed ball and RBI singles by Bounds, Warren Wilson, and Brady Binder put the finishing touches on Lafayette’s six-run victory.
Gavin Mitchell took the loss for the Tigers, allowing four earned runs on five hits with a pair of walks over two innings. Thompson exited after surrendering four earned runs on three hits with seven walks and five strikeouts.
Christian Hayden earned the win for Lafayette, giving up two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Hopkinsville slipped to 3-5 and will look to bounce back on Monday in a matchup with Crestview, FL.
