Playing for an opportunity to defend last season’s 2nd-Region baseball title, the Christian County Colonels made quick work of Madisonville-North Hopkins on Monday to set up a championship tilt with hosts Henderson County.
The Colonels got a strong outing on the mound from Gage Montes and poured it on in the 4th and 5th to top the Maroons 14-2. 7th-District champions Madisonville saw its postseason run come to an end to finish with a 10-21 record.
Madisonville took the lead in the top of the 1st on an RBI double by AJ Hogart but wouldn’t cross the plate again until its final at-bat in the 5th.
Christian County slowly gained steam with a run in each of the first three innings against Madisonville’s Cadence Gibson before blowing the game open in the final two frames.
RBI singles by Aiden Lewis and Montes highlighted a four-run 4th before the Maroons got a run back on Xzavier Martin’s run-scoring double.
After loading the bases with no outs in the 5th, the Colonels closed out the game with runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball ahead of an RBI double by Blake Boehman. Eddie Davis added the exclamation point with a walk-off, three-run home run over the left-field fence, his first of the season.
Montes earned the win to take his record to 4-3 after allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Boehman and Davis each drove in three runs for the Colonels, Lewis was two for two with two RBI, Montes drove in two runs, and Elijah Underhill finished with a pair of hits. In addition, Preston Phan and Bobby Irving each drove in a run.
Gibson suffered the loss for the Maroons, surrendering six runs, five earned, on four hits with five walks and three strikeouts. Evan Lear came on in relief and allowed six runs, five earned, on three hits with five walks.
Christian County improved to 25-11. The Colonels topped Henderson 9-7 in last season’s region championship and took the regular season meeting 8-6 earlier this month.
