[Stardust]

The St. Xavier baseball team felt pretty good Thursday night, leaving Jim Patterson Stadium with a comfy 3-0 cushion after three innings as the rain pounded the turf at the University of Louisville.

The Tigers’ comfort level disappeared on a chilly Friday night as Male put up five runs in two innings. Then St. X mounted its own rally and repeated as Seventh Region champions with a 6-5 win.

The Tigers (29-11) now will face Mercer County (23-12) Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the state tournament at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington.

“Anything can happen up there (in Lexington),” said St. X coach Andy Porta. “We’ve said all year long, we’ve got unfinished business.”

A year ago, the Tigers lost to Central Hardin in the state semifinals.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Porta, a 1985 St. X grad. “It’s not going to be a cakewalk. But I like our team. I like our pitching. I like our chances. ... This (winning the region) means the world to me.”

With St. X leading 3-0 with one out in the top of the fourth inning, Male’s Trey Simpson singled and Blake Oyler and Dalton Howell added consecutive triples. Howell scored on a balk, tying the game.

In the next inning, the Bulldogs (28-11) kept it going with four singles and two more runs to dart ahead of the Tigers 5-3.

“Our kids were sky-high,” Porta said of his team entering Friday’s restart. “You have to give those guys a lot of credit. Male took the wind out of our sails. They did what they had to do.”

In the bottom of the sixth inning, St. X’s Josh Osborne led off by drawing a walk from Simpson. Then Andrew McCormick hit a fly ball to center field and Male’s Zach Janes slipped and dropped the ball.

Osborne scored on the play, and McCormick went all the way to third on the throw to the plate.

After Alex Mercer struck out, Zach Montgomery was hit by a pitch. McCormick scored the tying run when Conrad Ulmer sent a fly ball to center field.

The St. X inning continued as Nate Stemle reached on an infield single, and Jake Johnson delivered an RBI single to right field as pinch-runner Austin Gahafer scored.

“St. X is an outstanding team and they showed that,” said Male coach Todd Driskell. “They put the ball in play, and good things happen when you put the ball in play. Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t so good. ... That’s baseball.”

Porta said the Tigers knew Simpson would throw strikes. “We had to put the ball into play, and luckily we found some holes.”

Male 000 320 0 – 5 10 1St. Xavier 102 003 x – 6 7 0WP – Britt (8-0). LP – Simpson (7-4). 3B – Oyler (M), Howell (M). Records – Male 28-11, St. Xavier 29-11.http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...on?Avis=B2