St. Xavier 4 vs. Mercer County 0 (State Tournament)

**Stardust** · 06-04-2012, 04:08 PM

Final

**Stardust** · 06-04-2012, 04:11 PM

No. 3 St. Xavier rode the strong pitching of Sam Melchior to a 4-0 victory over Mercer County in the Kentucky National Insurance/KHSAA State Baseball Tournament at Whitaker Bank Ballpark on Monday afternoon.
Melchior, a junior righthander, went the full seven innings, gave up one hit, struck out eight and walked none in improving his record to 9-1.
Mercer County pitcher J.T. Long blanked St. X through five innings, but the Tigers got to him in the sixth. After Austin Clemons drew a lead-off walk, Andrew Willinger blasted a two-run homer to left to give St. X a 2-0 lead.
The Tigers weren’t finished. After Joshua Osborne singled, pinch-hitter Gunnar Wagoner put down a sacrifice bunt. Mercer County wound up throwning the ball into right field, and Osborne scampered home to make it 3-0. Wagoner eventually scored on a squeeze bunt by Zach Montgomery.
St. X (30-11) advances to Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
Mercer County (23-13), state runner-up last year, got its only hit from Jon Banks, a single in the third inning.

http://www.Kentucky.com

CCRadioSports · 06-04-2012, 04:14 PM

Many thanks for the update!!! :worthy:

**Stardust** · 06-04-2012, 04:22 PM

Your welcome!

**Stardust** · 06-05-2012, 08:46 AM

St. Xavier pitcher Sam Melchior started but didn't get to finish the Tigers' rain-interrupted win over Male in the 7th Region finals last week.
Afterward, St. X Coach Andy Porta told Melchior not to be discouraged, that he'd get a chance to shine in the Kentucky National Insurance/KHSAA State Tournament.
Sure enough, Melchior starred on the mound in leading the third-rated Tigers to a 4-0 victory over Mercer County at Whitaker Bank Ballpark on Monday.
The junior right-hander threw a complete-game one-hitter, with nine strikeouts and one walk against last year's state runners-up.
"Sam's done that all year long," Porta said. "You can't ask for more out of him. He was dominating."
Melchior said he had command of his pitches, especially keeping his fastball low and away. "My slider was working well, too," he added.
Mercer County's only threat came in the third. Jon Banks led off with a single and Austin Horn drew a one-out walk. But Melchior got an inning-ending double play, and retired the last 13 batters he faced.
St. X's hitters, meanwhile, were having trouble getting to Titans' sophomore J.T. Long. He blanked the Tigers through five innings, using his change-up and curveball to keep them off-kilter.
"It was getting real antsy there," Porta said of his team's offensive struggles.
St. X finally broke through in the sixth. After Austin Clemons' lead-off walk, Andrew Willinger blasted a home run — his sixth of the year — to make it 2-0.
"I was locked in the whole game," said Willinger, who had a double in the fourth.
Long credited Willinger for pouncing on a bad pitch and sending it over the left-field wall. "I ran a change-up up and in on him, and he got a hold of it," Long said. "That's what good hitters will do."
St. X added two more runs in the inning on Joshua Osborne's single, a throwing error, and a squeeze bunt by Zach Montgomery.
Melchior was happy to have the run support.
"When (Willinger) hit that bomb, I definitely took a sigh of relief," he said.
Mercer County Coach Jeremy Shope said Melchior was "the real deal. He painted the black with his fastball, and had a good curveball, too."
Shope also took it as a compliment that St. X "had to throw their best against us. They had to run their big gun out there."
Shope was also proud of the way his Titans, rebuilt from last year, defied the odds and repeated as 12th Region champs.
"This was a special senior class to be able to get back here," he said. "It was a special accomplishment."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/04/22123...rylink=cpy

**Stardust** · 06-05-2012, 08:47 AM

St. Xavier 000 004 0—4 4 0
Mercer County 000 000 0—0 1 3
Sam Melchior and Zach Montgomery. J.T. Long and Alex Guay. 2B—Andrew Willinger (X). HR—Willinger (X).
Records—St. X 30-11; Mercer County 23-13.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/04/22123...rylink=cpy

**Stardust** · 06-05-2012, 08:47 AM

[Image: http://media.kentucky.com/smedia/2012/06...St.79.jpeg]

**Stardust** · 06-05-2012, 08:52 AM

LEXINGTON, KY. — St. Xavier High School baseball coach Andy Porta describes junior pitcher Sam Melchior as a bright kid who sometimes thinks too much on the mound.“That’s his greatest strength, and sometimes that’s his greatest weakness, too,” Porta said. “Sometimes you want him to get out there and just throw the ball.”
Melchior threw it just fine Monday.
The right-hander tossed a one-hitter and struck out eight and Andrew Willinger launched a two-run homer as the Tigers beat Mercer County 4-0 in a first-round game of the Kentucky National Insurance/KHSAA State Tournament.
“I can’t ask for more out of him,” Porta said. “He just dominated.”
A crowd of 1,751 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark saw Melchior improve to 9-1 and lower his ERA to 1.04. The Tigers (30-11) — ranked No. 3 in the state — advanced to face Bishop Brossart in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. quarterfinal.
Melchior allowed a single by Jon Banks and a walk to Austin Horn in the third inning, but a double play ended the threat. Mercer County (23-13) went down 1-2-3 in the other six innings.
“He’s the real deal,” said Titans coach Jeremy Shope, whose team was the state runner-up last year. “He painted the black with his fastball and had a good curveball. He’s a good pitcher.”
Titans pitcher J.T. Long (7-4) was nearly as good for five innings, allowing just two hits, before the Tigers broke through in the sixth.
After Austin Clemons led off with a walk, Willinger found himself behind in the count at 0-2.
“From then on I was just in battle mode,” he said.
Willinger worked the count to 3-2 before blasting a two-run homer into the left-field bleachers.
“I knew I needed to put a good swing on a ball and just get a base hit,” said Willinger, a 6-foot-6 first baseman who has signed with Florida Southern. “It just so happened that last-pitch change-up was a little up, and I got a hold of it and drove it out of there.”
Josh Osborne followed with a single and pinch-runner David Gahafer scored when Gunnar Wagoner’s bunt was misplayed into a three-base error. Wagoner scored for a 4-0 lead on Zach Montgomery’s perfect suicide-squeeze bunt.
Melchior took care of things from there, relying on a two-seam fastball he said had more movement than normal.
And also relying on a defense that was error-free.
“I would say we have the best defense in the state,” Melchior said. “I felt totally confident just letting them hit ground balls and fly balls all day.”
When it was over, Porta was asked whether Melchior or Willinger would get the game ball.
“I’d have to split it in two,” Porta said. “I was confident Sam was going to keep us in the ballgame, but that sure was a relief when Andrew hit that ball out.”http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/apps/pb...103&Ref=PH