Caldwell County shook off a slow start to defeat Fort Campbell 16-1 in three innings in a 2nd Region All A Classic matchup on Monday.
The Tigers (9-2) will next host Crittenden County on Tuesday in a semifinal matchup at 5:30 p.m. at the VFW Ballpark in Princeton. The Rockets (4-5) dismissed Livingston Central 12-2 in five innings on Monday.
Caldwell will look to continue its torrid hitting as it searches for its first All A regional championship since 2023.
The Tigers entered Monday’s game batting .405, and went 14-for-23 against Fort Campbell pitching to push that mark to .421.
However, the visiting Falcons got the jump on Caldwell with an unearned run in the top of the second inning.
Javi Ramirez reached on an error to start the frame and eventually scored on a groundout by Donavan Brown to put Fort Campbell up 1-0.
Caldwell’s bats heated up in the second inning as the Tigers answered with six runs.
Brody Kirk’s RBI single tied the game at 1-1. Mitchell Phelps singled home two runs to push Caldwell in front 3-1.
Jack Roach knocked in a run with a single. After a Drew Stevens double, Roach came in to score on the rare sacrifice fly to second.
Caldwell added another run on a wild pitch to make it 6-1.
The Tigers then exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning to end the game early on the 15-run mercy rule.
A pair of errors allowed one run to score. Kirk, Phelps, Stevens and Derek Wilson each had RBI singles. Then Ari Wells tripled home two runs to make it 13-1.
Scott Cortner and Channing Puckett had run-scoring doubles. A groundout to short off the bat of Kirk brought in Puckett with the game-ending run, making it 16-1.
Phelps was 2-for-2 and drove in three while scoring twice. Kirk was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Wells went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.
Roach finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Stevens was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
Wilson went 1-for-2 and knocked in two. Puckett was 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Cortner was 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Presten Alfred was 1-for-3 and scored a run.
Alfred (3-0) was also the winning pitching, tossing a three-inning no-hitter. He allowed just the one unearned run while striking out three and walking one.
Caldwell has won seven straight from Fort Campbell. The Falcons’ last win over the Tigers came in 2004.
