The UHA Blazers kept themselves in the running for the top seed in the 8th District baseball tournament Thursday night. The Blazers swept a doubleheader from the Hopkinsville Tigers, including coming from behind to win the second game of the double dip in extra innings.
In the opener of the twin bill, UHA pitcher Josh Pace could not have entered the game in much more of a tougher spot than he did. With bases loaded with one out, the tying run on first base and the go-ahead run at the plate with a 2-0 count, Pace was brought in to shut the door on a 7th inning rally from the Hopkinsville Tigers.
And shut the door he did. Pace got Gavin Powell to line out to second for the second out of the inning and then he got Chase Fort to ground into a fielder’s choice as the Blazers held on for a 6-3 win.
UHA never trailed in the game. The Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Cadence Gibson singled and later scored on a wild pitch.
Hopkinsville started J.J. Thompson had a bumpy start to the bottom of the third with a pair of walks and a hit batter. Jackson Flynn and Courtland Gibson followed up with RBI singles and then Flynn later scored on an error as the lead grew to 5-0.
Hoptown scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3.
The Blazers added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.
Jackson Flynn led UHA, going 1-3 with 2 RBIs. Cadence Gibson was 2-3 with two runs scored.
Zach Moss and Dylan Sweeney were each 2-3 with a run scored.
Jaiden Miles picked up the win in game one for UHA, going 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs, two of them earned, on six hits. He struck out 6 and walked one.
The second game saw the Hopkinsville Tigers take the early lead, only to see the Blazers come back in the 7th inning to force extra innings. After a scoreless 8th inning, a Hopkinsville error allowed UHA to score the winning run in the top of the 9th and complete the comeback and the doubleheader sweep with a 6-5 win.
The game was tied 1-1 after the first inning when the Tigers used a four-run second inning to take control of the game. The big hit in the inning was a two-run single off the bat of J.J. Thompson.
While their offense got them into the lead, it was the pitching of sophomore Andrew Mayes that kept the Hopkinsville Tigers in front, until the top of the 7th that is, and then the wheels came off for the Tigers.
In the top of the 7th, Courtland Gibson reached base with a one-out single. Jaiden Miles walked. After the second out of the inning, Sam Belt walked to load the bases. A single from Josh Pace scored two runs to cut the lead to 5-3. After a walk to Ryan Luckey re-loaded the bases, Hayden Hunt walked to make it 5-4. Cadence Gibson then singled to tie the game up at 5-5.
The Tigers had a chance to get the win in the bottom half of the inning, as two runners reached base with just one out, but the Blazers were able to get out of the jam and send it off to extra innings.
Ryan Luckey and Hayden Hunt walked to lead off the top of the 9th. Cadence Gibson sacrificed the runners over to 2nd and 3rd. An infield error by the Tigers allowed the go-ahead run to score, giving the Blazers a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning.
Hopkinsville would make things interesting in the bottom of the 9th getting runners on 1st and 2nd with just one out. UHA’s Hayden Hunt came into the game and got a strikeout and a flyout to end the game and complete the comeback for the Blazers.
Seven different Blazers had a hit in the game, led by Josh Pace, who was 1-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
Hopkinsville’s Lucas Kaetzel ended up 3-4 with a run scored. J.J. Thompson was 2-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
Cadence Gibson picked up the win for the Blazers in relief. He went 7 innings, giving up no runs on just three hits, striking out 8 and walking three.
