A night after securing their first 2nd Region tournament win since 2005, the University Heights Academy Blazers took another step toward a first region title in program history on Tuesday with a walk-off 10-inning semifinal victory over Henderson County.
The Blazers advanced to a matchup with Hopkinsville on Wednesday in a rematch of a 7-4 win in the 8th-District championship game. After ending a six-game losing streak with an upset victory over Lyon County on Monday, Henderson County ends the season with a record of 11-25.
Courtland Gibson’s RBI single highlighted a three-run 1st for the Blazers, but the Colonels got a pair of runs back on back-to-back run-scoring singles by Cooper Vowels and Reed Rheinhardt.
A four-run 4th gave Henderson its first lead of the night, with Corben Throgmorten and Jayce Hicks driving in runs and another coming home on a wild pitch.
Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the 6th, UHA loaded the bases with no outs on a walk and singles by Hayden Hunt and Cadence Gibson. Jackson Flynn followed with a ground out to push a run across, and a Henderson throwing error allowed two more runners to come home to tie the game at 6-6.
UHA came up empty with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th and trailed by a run after Rheinhardt’s RBI single in the top of the 8th. A bases-loaded balk allowed the Blazers to tie the game in the bottom of the frame, but Henderson jumped on top again on Alec Satterfield’s RBI single in the top of the 9th.
A pair of hit-by-pitches and a walk again loaded the bases in the Blazer half of the 9th, and Josh Pace drew a walk to knot the game at 8-8. Runs on a bases-loaded walk and a UHA error put the Colonels up 10-8, but UHA once again had the answer. Ryan Luckey’s one-out single got things started, and a pair of walks loaded the bases for the fourth inning in a row ahead of Flynn’s two-run single to tie the game for a final time.
After the Colonels intentionally walked Courtland Gibson to load the bases, Pace dropped a controversial bunt to bring in Cadence Gibson and set off Blazer celebrations and Henderson protests.
UHA won its fourth straight over the Colonels to improve to 25-11. The Blazers will be looking for a fifth win in a row over Hopkinsville when the teams meet in a region showdown on Wednesday.
Bryson Turner started on the mound for the Blazers, allowing two earned runs on four hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout before giving way to Luckey after two and two-thirds innings. Luckey surrendered four earned runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout in an inning of work ahead of six innings on the mound from Hayden Hunt.
Hunt surrendered four runs, three earned, on eight hits with six walks and nine strikeouts, but Pace got a single out in the top of the 10th to pick up the win.
Flynn led the Blazers with three hits and three RBI, and Hunt collected three hits. Pace and Courtland Gibson hit safely twice, with Pace driving in two runs.
Freshman Maddox Golday took the loss for the Colonels after allowing three earned runs on three hits with a trio of walks. Gavin Herndon went six and two-thirds on the mound, giving up four runs, two earned, on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Satterfield, Hicks, and Evan DemKemper finished with three hits for Henderson, and Throgmorten and Rheinhardt each drove in two runs.
