A trio of Caldwell County Tiger pitchers held hosts Hopkinsville to only three hits on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to four games with a 6-3 victory. Caldwell ended a four-game losing run in the series with their Tiger counterparts to clench its 11th 20-win season and first since a 23-7 mark in 2018.
Hopkinsville jumped on top in the bottom of the first on Dylan Sweeney’s RBI single, and Lucas Kaetzel held the lead on the mound until Caldwell moved in front for good with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Ari Wells and Westin King singled on either side of a walk to load the bases, and starting pitcher Channing Puckett helped himself with an RBI single for a 2-1 Caldwell advantage.
A four-run fifth made it 6-1, with RBI singles by Luke Parker, Colin Whittington, and Puckett doing most of the damage. However, Hopkinsville doesn’t have 16 wins for no reason, and the Tigers got on the scoreboard on JJ Thompson’s solo home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.
Trailing by three runs in its final at-bat, Hopkinsville put runners on first and second with one out. With runners at the corners and Thompson representing the tying run at the plate, a fly ball to centerfield ended the threat.
Cole Sloan earned the win on the mound for Caldwell, allowing two earned runs on two hits with four walks and six strikeouts over four and a third innings. Puckett worked the first two frames, giving up an unearned run on a hit with a walk and three strikeouts, and Mitchell Phelps got the final two outs to pick up the save.
Puckett had two hits and two RBI, with Parker, Wells, and King also collecting two hits for Caldwell.
Kaetzel took the loss for Hoptown after surrendering three earned runs on five hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts over four frames. Gavin Powell allowed three earned runs on four hits in one inning of work, and Sweeney went two scoreless innings with a hit, a walk, and a strikeout.
Hopkinsville lost its second straight for the first time this season to slip to 16-5 ahead of a district doubleheader with University Heights Academy on Thursday.
Caldwell will entertain Lyon County on Thursday in a meeting between the region’s top two teams according to RPI.
