Don’t let the final score fool you, the University Heights Academy win over Trigg County in the 2nd Region baseball semifinals Tuesday night was one that the Blazers had to fight for their baseball lives to get. UHA broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the top of the 8th inning to fend off a tough bunch of Wildcats 5-1 and move on to Wednesday night’s championship game.
The Wildcats had the Blazers off stride all night long and had a chance at the end to walk off what would have been a stunning win. Instead, the Blazers took advantage of getting deep into the Trigg pitching staff and some late-game miscues from the Wildcats to survive and advance.
Starting pitchers Chase Hampton, for Trigg County, and Cadence Gibson, for UHA, engaged in a pitchers’ duel for the first four innings of the game. That duel continued between Hampton and Bryson Turner when Turner took to the mound for the Blazers in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Hampton did an incredible job in the top of the first inning just to survive the start of the game. Two hit batters and a Wildcat error allowed UHA to load the bases with nobody out. Hampton then buckled down and got two pop ups and a fly out to end the inning without the Blazers doing any damage.
Trigg County got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Slaton Carter walked, and then Cannon Scott was hit by a pitch to give the Wildcats runners at first and second. James Garnett then singled to left, one of only two hits in the game for Trigg County, to drive in a run and give Trigg a 1-0 lead.
University Heights pulled even with the Wildcats in the top of the fourth inning. Jaiden Miles opened the inning by reaching base on a Trigg County error. Two outs later, Courtland Gibson doubled to left, scoring Josh Pace and tying the game at 1-1.
Hampton got out of the inning without any further trouble and kept the Wildcats in the thick of things until he exited the game with one out in the top of the fifth. Ty Gootee entered the game and continued to hold the Blazer offense at bay.
The game entered the bottom of the seventh inning still tied at 1-1. UHA reliever Bryson Turner set down the first two batters before giving up a walk to Aaden Allen. That brought Trigg County’s leading RBI man Aidon Butts to the plate. In a moment that took the collective breath of all in attendance, for different reasons, Butts took a big swing at the first pitch he saw and blasted a shot to left. However, the ball did not quite have enough and was reeled in by Jackson Flynn on the warning track in left.
After the near-miss of an epic upset, the wheels came off for Trigg County in the top of the 8th. The Blazers converted a walk, two bunt singles, two errors, a balk, and a passed ball into four runs and a 5-1 lead.
Bryson Turner then closed out the game in the bottom of the 8th inning as the Blazers advanced to the regional title game for the second year in a row.
UHA overcame four errors to pick up the win. The Wildcats also had their issues in the field, committing four errors of their own.
Courtland Gibson led the Blazers at the plate, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Aiden Jones, Eli Finch, and Josh Pace had one hit each for UHA.
James Garnett and Chase Hampton had one hit each for Trigg County.
Bryson Turner picked up the win in relief for the Blazers. He went 3 2/3 innings, giving up no runs on no hits, striking out three and walking two.
Chase Hampton did all he could to keep the Wildcats in the game. He got the start and went 5 1/3 innings, giving up one unearned run on three hits, striking out four and walking three.
Trigg County ends the season at 13-12.
UHA improves to 20-10 with the win and moves on to face Lyon County in Wednesday night’s regional championship game which will be at 6pm at Lee S. Jones Park.
