05-15-2013, 03:04 AM
Bourbon County possesses the most wins of any baseball team in the 10th Region, and the Colonels methodically went about their business to earn another one at Mason County's expense on Tuesday.
The visiting Colonels scored in six of their seven trips to the plate and sophomore Kaven Brown threw a four-hit complete-game shutout to beat the Royals 7-0.
Eight Bourbon County (21-8) batters recorded at least one hit. Cody Miles had three of them, drove in two runs and initiated another by drawing a throw from the pitcher on the front end of a double steal that allowed Nick Wheeler to score from third base.
Meanwhile, Mason County (13-14) got five runners into scoring position, but only really threatened once.
The Royals had courtesy runner Tyler Baxter on third base, running for Kyler Sapp, and Cody Whisman on second after back-to-back hits. With two outs, Aaron Scilley sent a screamer toward left field, but it was picked off at third base to end the inning.
Brown allowed four hits, walked one Royal and struck out eight, throwing 112 pitches.
"The pitcher did a good job throwing, and they hit the ball hard, and they made some plays," Mason County coach Tom Posey said of the Colonels. "The ball did bounce their way, that's for sure. We didn't get any breaks on the balls bouncing, it was right to them, and we hit a lot of routine ground balls to them, and they got the outs like they're supposed to."
The Colonels opened the scoring when David Baker singled home Jaxson Hilander with two away in the first inning, and kept adding on from there.
Courtesy runner Justin Hutchens motored around to score on a two-out error in the second inning, and in the third, Nick Wheeler lined a single down the left-field line to plate Dalton Pope and Miles blooped a single to shallow center to score Wheeler.
Pope's RBI groundout scored Cameron Whitaker in the fourth inning, and in the sixth, Bourbon County stole a run when Miles took off for second, collided with significantly smaller Mason County second baseman Ryan Johnson, and was safe.
Royals pitcher Nathan Cracraft had thrown to second on the play, and Wheeler beat shortstop Scilley's relay home.
Miles provided the capper by singling home Baker in the top of the seventh inning.
Bourbon County coach Nelson Faris said his team didn't have a complicated offensive approach -- nor did it need one.
"For the most part, we had good times at bat," he said. "We hit some balls hard, put some balls in play, didn't have a lot of strikeouts, and any time you put it in play, especially in high school, you've got a shot."
Mason County will look to dust its collective self off and get back after it down the stretch.
"We just didn't compete," Posey said. "You gotta come out and compete every game. You can't take a game off. (Teams like Bourbon County are) what you're gonna see in the region, and you gotta come out and compete. That's just it ... and that's something we're still struggling with here is competing, especially with good teams."
The Royals are back in action for senior night tonight when Robertson County comes to town.
"We'd like for everybody to come out and recognize our seniors and the hard work they've put in for four years in high school and middle school and Little League," Posey said. "You hate those times because you want (seniors) to keep playing, but right now, like I told the guys, if we don't play Saturday (a scheduled game against Rowan County imperiled by a chance of rain), this is your last game on this field, and that's it. It's over with."
Bourbon County 112 110 1 -- 7 10 2
Mason County 000 000 0 -- 0 4 3
WP: Brown, LP: Cracraft.
Hitting leaders: BC -- Miles 3-4, 2 RBI, SB; Wheeler 1-3, RBI, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB; D. Baker 1-3, RBI, R, BB; Pope 1-4, RBI, R; Hilander 1-3, R, BB, SB; Whitaker 1-3, R, BB; Courtney 1-3; Bretz 1-4; Hutchens R; MC -- Sapp 1-3, SB; Cracraft 1-3, SB; Whisman 1-3, SB; Mason 1-3; Sutton BB; Baxter SB.
Records: Bourbon County 21-8, Mason County 13-14.
The visiting Colonels scored in six of their seven trips to the plate and sophomore Kaven Brown threw a four-hit complete-game shutout to beat the Royals 7-0.
Eight Bourbon County (21-8) batters recorded at least one hit. Cody Miles had three of them, drove in two runs and initiated another by drawing a throw from the pitcher on the front end of a double steal that allowed Nick Wheeler to score from third base.
Meanwhile, Mason County (13-14) got five runners into scoring position, but only really threatened once.
The Royals had courtesy runner Tyler Baxter on third base, running for Kyler Sapp, and Cody Whisman on second after back-to-back hits. With two outs, Aaron Scilley sent a screamer toward left field, but it was picked off at third base to end the inning.
Brown allowed four hits, walked one Royal and struck out eight, throwing 112 pitches.
"The pitcher did a good job throwing, and they hit the ball hard, and they made some plays," Mason County coach Tom Posey said of the Colonels. "The ball did bounce their way, that's for sure. We didn't get any breaks on the balls bouncing, it was right to them, and we hit a lot of routine ground balls to them, and they got the outs like they're supposed to."
The Colonels opened the scoring when David Baker singled home Jaxson Hilander with two away in the first inning, and kept adding on from there.
Courtesy runner Justin Hutchens motored around to score on a two-out error in the second inning, and in the third, Nick Wheeler lined a single down the left-field line to plate Dalton Pope and Miles blooped a single to shallow center to score Wheeler.
Pope's RBI groundout scored Cameron Whitaker in the fourth inning, and in the sixth, Bourbon County stole a run when Miles took off for second, collided with significantly smaller Mason County second baseman Ryan Johnson, and was safe.
Royals pitcher Nathan Cracraft had thrown to second on the play, and Wheeler beat shortstop Scilley's relay home.
Miles provided the capper by singling home Baker in the top of the seventh inning.
Bourbon County coach Nelson Faris said his team didn't have a complicated offensive approach -- nor did it need one.
"For the most part, we had good times at bat," he said. "We hit some balls hard, put some balls in play, didn't have a lot of strikeouts, and any time you put it in play, especially in high school, you've got a shot."
Mason County will look to dust its collective self off and get back after it down the stretch.
"We just didn't compete," Posey said. "You gotta come out and compete every game. You can't take a game off. (Teams like Bourbon County are) what you're gonna see in the region, and you gotta come out and compete. That's just it ... and that's something we're still struggling with here is competing, especially with good teams."
The Royals are back in action for senior night tonight when Robertson County comes to town.
"We'd like for everybody to come out and recognize our seniors and the hard work they've put in for four years in high school and middle school and Little League," Posey said. "You hate those times because you want (seniors) to keep playing, but right now, like I told the guys, if we don't play Saturday (a scheduled game against Rowan County imperiled by a chance of rain), this is your last game on this field, and that's it. It's over with."
Bourbon County 112 110 1 -- 7 10 2
Mason County 000 000 0 -- 0 4 3
WP: Brown, LP: Cracraft.
Hitting leaders: BC -- Miles 3-4, 2 RBI, SB; Wheeler 1-3, RBI, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB; D. Baker 1-3, RBI, R, BB; Pope 1-4, RBI, R; Hilander 1-3, R, BB, SB; Whitaker 1-3, R, BB; Courtney 1-3; Bretz 1-4; Hutchens R; MC -- Sapp 1-3, SB; Cracraft 1-3, SB; Whisman 1-3, SB; Mason 1-3; Sutton BB; Baxter SB.
Records: Bourbon County 21-8, Mason County 13-14.