Scott Brown's SportsBytes on WKDZ

Second Region Baseball Tournament begins Monday

The Second Region Baseball Tournament begins Monday at Elmer Kelley Stadium in Madisonville.

Trigg County (18-14) will play Henderson County (24-6) at 4pm.  Trigg County hasn't won a game in the region tournament since 1989 when they surprised West Hopkins 13-10 in the first round.  They lost to Henderson County 26-1 in the semifinals that year, which was the last time Trigg played Henderson County in the postseason.

The Colonels have won 14 of their last 16 games, including a 4-3 win over Union County in the Sixth District championship game.

CLICK HERE to read a preview from the Henderson Gleaner

MONDAY'S REGION TOURNEY GAMES

10am - Christian County (16-14) vs. Union County (16-13)

1pm - Crittenden County (16-12) vs. Hopkins County Central (12-11)

4pm - Henderson County (24-6) vs. Trigg County (18-14)

7pm - Madisonville (23-9) vs. University Heights (21-7) 

Trigg County 16 Dawson Springs 0

Will Stagner homered and drove in five runs as Trigg County blasted Dawson Springs 16-0 Monday at the Complex.

Stagner belted a 3-run shot as part of a four-run third inning.  He also singled and doubled.

Shane Banks also had two hits, and Hunter Smilie had a pair of RBI groundouts.  Tyler Thomas added and RBI single and Hogan Bailey had a bases-clearing double.

R.J. Sholar picked up the win on the mound, allowing just a double and striking out six in five innings of work.  He didn't walk anyone.

It marked the third time this year Trigg County has scored as many as 16 runs in a game.

Before the contest, seniors Josh Green, Jordan P'Pool, Tyler Thomas, Donald Bush, Shane Banks, and Will Stagner were recognized as part of Senior Day festivities.

Trigg County (16-11) returns to action today at home in a 5:30pm contest with Muhlenberg South.

Trigg County 7 Livingston Central 5

Trigg County scored early and often and was able to hold off Livingston Central 7-5 Monday night in Smithland.

The win moved Trigg County to 5-0 in the district and locks up the top seed in the district tournament that begins in two weeks at Trigg County.  Trigg is now 14-10 overall.

Will Stagner highlighted a four-run first inning with a three-run homer.  Donald Bush added a solo shot in the second as part of the 11-hit Trigg attack.

Mitch Rogers and R.J. Sholar each had two singles for Trigg County, but the Wildcats left 16 runners on base, including the bases loaded three times.

Shane Banks picked up the complete game pitching win, striking out four and walking two.

Trigg County is scheduled to host Christian County tonight at 5:30pm at the Complex.

Trigg County 17 Fort Campbell 2

Trigg County hammered out 14 hits and scored in every inning to beat Fort Campbell 17-2 Monday on post.

The win pushed Trigg County's record to 13-10, which equals their win total from all of last year.

Trigg scored four in the first inning, three in both the second and fourth innings, and six more in the fifth inning.

The Wildcats smacked four home runs on the day, including two by Will Stagner.  Donald Bush and Jordan P'Pool also had solo homers.

Mitch Rogers had two singles and a double and drove in three runs, while Alex Sadler drove in two runs with a single.

Hunter Smilie picked up the pitching win, by striking out one batter in three innings, giving up three hits.

Trigg County 5 Hopkinsville 4

Trigg County snapped an 11-game losing streak to Hopkinsville that dated back eight years with a 5-4 win over the Tigers tonight in Hopkinsville.

Trigg scored five runs in the first two innings, and Donald Bush made it stand up on the mound by scattering seven hits over seven innings.  He walked one and struck out one.

Bush also had a pair of two-run doubles that staked Trigg to their early lead.  Mitch Rogers and Shane Banks each had two singles, and Will Stagner had a single and a double.

Justin Hageman smacked a solo home run for Hopkinsville, who had the tying run on base in the seventh inning but could not push him across.  Kyle Smithson took the loss on the mound for the Tigers (13-9).

Trigg's last win over Hopkinsville came in the 2001 district tournament.  The Wildcats have since switched districts.  Of the 11 straight losses to the Tigers, six came by three runs or less.

Trigg County (12-10) will host Crittenden County on Monday.

Greenwood 12 Trigg County 7

Greenwood scored seven runs in the final two innings to hand Trigg County a 12-7 setback today at Hopkinsville High School.

Trigg County took a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning, but the Gators answered with four runs of their own in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Greenwood outhit Trigg County 12-10 and both teams had two errors in the field.

Will Stagner had two singles and a double and drove in three runs.  R.J. Sholar added three singles and drove in two runs.

Hunter Smilie took the loss on the mound, pitching four innings and striking out one.

Trigg County 17 Lyon County 3

Trigg County banged out 13 hits and took advantage of five errors to hammer Lyon County 17-3 tonight in Eddyville.

Trigg scored in every inning but the second in rolling to their fourth straight district win.

Donald Bush hit a 3-run homer in the fifth inning and added a double, and Hunter Smilie had a double and solo home run.  Will Stagner added two hits, and Alex Sadler had a double and three runs knocked in.

Shane Banks picked up the win on the mound by striking out six in five innings of work.

Aaron Corley took the loss for the Lyons.

Trigg County 7 Todd County Central 3

Trigg County scored five first inning runs and made it stand up as they beat Todd County Central 7-3 tonight at the Complex.

The win was Trigg County's sixth in their last seven games since returning from Florida.  The Wildcats are now 10-9 on the season.

R.J. Sholar drove in two runs with a triple, and Donald Bush added an RBI single as part of the 5-run first inning.

Bush later added a double, and Will Stagner had two hits as part of the nine-hit attack.

Sholar also picked up the win on the mound, hurling six innings of shut out baseball.  He struck out five and walked one.

Trigg County will play at Lyon County (1-9) Friday at 5pm.  On Saturday, Trigg will play a doubleheader at Hopkinsville (10-8).  They will play Greenwood (12-3) at 3pm and Hopkinsville at 6pm.

Jordan Williams signs to play baseball at Pensacola Junior College

Christian County senior Jordan Williams has signed a letter to play baseball at Pensacola Junior College in Florida.  The signing was held at the high school on Thursday.

Williams is a five-year letter winner for the Colonels, and leads the team with a .436 batting average.  Behind the plate, he has thrown out 75% of potential stealers this year.

Williams said he considered playing football and was offered by Austin Peay and Western Kentucky, but decided on baseball.

CCHS head coach Blake Leach coached at PJC before heading north to Christian County.

PJC competes in one of the toughest junior college conferences in America and have produced Major League baseball players such as Billy Sadler, who pitches for the San Francisco Giants, and former St. Louis outfielder Mark Whitten, who once hit four home runs in a game for the Cardinals.

CLICK HERE to hear the comments of Jordan Williams

CLICK HERE to listen to CCHS head coach Blake Leach

Will Stagner, Donald Bush sign letters to play baseball at Lindenwood University

Trigg County seniors Donald Bush and Will Stagner have signed a scholarship agreement to play baseball at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

The duo made it official at a ceremoney Wednesday at the school.

Bush has been a four-year starter on the infield for the Wildcats, while Stagner has been a three-year starter behind the dish.

Lindenwood is an NAIA school just west of St. Louis that competes in the Heart of America Conference, winning the conference title last year.

CLICK HERE to listen to comments from Donald Bush

CLICK HERE to listen to comments from Will Stagner

The interesting part about the signing is the fact that Bush and Stagner shared the same babysitter when they were small.  Vivian Futrell would sit in a lawn chair and toss them baseballs to hit as three year-olds.  Now, Bush and Stagner head off to college together.

University Heights 8 Trigg County 2

Maybe Trigg County should stick to playing games in the state of Kentucky.  Not really, of course.

The Wildcats lost to University Heights 8-2 Saturday in a game played at Greer Stadium in Nashville, home of the triple-A Sounds.

The game was part of a special promotion where high school teams sell tickets to Sounds games in return for some money and a chance to play at Greer Stadium.

On the field, UHA (8-3) scored three times in the first and five more times in the third to get the win over Trigg County, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.

Shane Banks and Donald Bush each had two hits for Trigg County, while Alex Sadler, Josh Green, and Jordan P'Pool each had singles.

Bush took the loss on the mound.

Matt McGowan and Carson Joyce each had two hits for UHA, and McGowan picked up the pitching win.

Trigg County was 1-5 on a recent trip to Florida and now 1-6 in games played out of state.  They are 7-3 in games played inside the borders of the Commonwealth.

Trigg County (8-9) will host Livingston Central Tuesday at the Complex.

Trigg County 5 Lyon County 2

Trigg County won their second straight game since returning from Florida by downing Lyon County 52- Tuesday at the Complex.  The win puts Trigg at 1-0 in the district, which is used for seeding purposes for the tournament.

Donald Bush pitched a complete game for the Wildcats, allowing eight hits and two runs.  He struck out six and walked one.

Down 1-0 in the second inning, Trigg County scored twice on a two-RBI double by Alex Sadler.

Trigg scored the go-ahead runs in the sixth inning when Jared Stallons singled, Josh Green walked with the bases loaded, and Shane Banks added a sacrifice fly.

Ramsey Walker took the loss for Lyon County (0-8), striking out nine but walking five.

Trigg County (6-8) has won two straight games since a 1-5 trip to Florida.  The Wildcats will host former district rival Caldwell County (5-7) Thursday at the Complex.

Warren Central 11 Trigg County 0

Warren Central's Shane Waltrip silenced the Trigg County bats and handed the Wildcats an 11-0 loss in the Florida Beach Bash at Fort Walton Beach.  The loss dropped Trigg County to 4-5 on the season and 1-2 on the Florida trip. 

Warren Central improved to 6-2 on the season.

Waltrip allowed just three hits in six innings.  He struck out seven and walked three.

Trigg got singles from Mitch Rogers, Will Stagner, and Hunter Smilie.  Stagner took the loss on the mound.

Trigg County will play Campbellsville (1-6) at 9am today and Monroe County (2-4) at noon.  They are scheduled to be off on Thursday and play Niceville, Florida on Friday.

Trigg County 8 Murray 4

Trigg County rapped out 14 hits and beat Murray 8-4 Friday in the Murray Tiger Classic at Ty Holland Stadium.

Trigg scored in every inning but the second and fifth to steadily pull away from the Tigers.

Donald Bush had four hits, including two doubles and two RBI.  Will Stagner added three doubles and two RBIs, and Shane Banks had three singles and three RBIs.

Bush picked up the win on the mound, striking out eight and walking none over six innings.

Union County 9 Trigg County 8

Union County scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand Trigg County their first loss of the season 9-8 Thursday in Morganfield.  The game was originally planned to be played in Cadiz, but wet field conditions prompted the move to Union County.

Trigg fell behind 6-1 after two innings but battled back to take an 8-7 lead with a five-run fifth inning.

Will Stagner had an RBI double, Alex Sadler drew a bases loaded walk, and Shane Banks followed a run-scoring error with a two-run single.

Union County scored the tying and winning runs in the seventh inning with two outs.  A single scored the tying run, and Nathan Hedgepeth drew a bases loaded walk to win the game.

Trigg managed just three hits in the game, two of those by Stagner.

Shane Banks suffered the loss in relief, pitching five-and-a-third innings, striking out four and walking six.

Trigg County (2-1) will play in the Murray Tiger Classic tonight and tomorrow.  Trigg will play Murray at 4:30 and Heath at 6:30 tonight.

Trigg County game changes

Trigg County's baseball game today with Union County has been moved to Union County because Trigg's field is too wet.  The game time remains 5:30.

Trigg County's softball game today at Todd County Central has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Will Stagner perfect as Trigg beats Fort Campbell 18-0

Will Stagner (right) pitched a five-inning perfect game, and his teammates belted two home runs as Trigg County hammered a young Fort Campbell team 18-0 Tuesday night at the Complex.

Stagner struck out seven and didn't allow a baserunner in pitching Trigg's first shutout since April 29 of last year.

With the wind howling out to left field, Trigg hit a pair of homers in the game.  R.J. Sholar belted a three-run shot to left-center field as part of a five-run first inning.

Shane Banks led off the second inning with a homer to left field as the Wildcats scored six more runs.  Josh Green added a two-run double in the inning.

Jordan P'Pool singled home two runs in the third inning, and Mitch Rogers and Andre Wright added RBI singles.

Hunter Allen singled home two more runs in the fourth inning as part of a three-run inning that finished off the Falcons.

Trigg had 14 hits in the game with 11 different players recording hits.

Cyle Jay suffered the pitching loss for the Falcons (0-2).

Trigg County is 2-0 for the first time in a long time and will host Union County Thursday at the Complex.

Trigg County 9 Christian County 7

Trigg County opened the 2009 baseball season with a very significant win, knocking off the defending Second Region champion Christian County 9-7 Monday in Hopkinsville.

The Wildcats overcame four errors and withstood a late Colonel rally that saw them put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Trigg scored three in the first inning, highlighted by a Will Stagner two-run triple.  However, some shaky defense on the Wildcat infield led to four Colonel runs over the next five innings.

The Wildcats scored twice in the sixth inning on four hits and a bases loaded walk by Alex Sadler.  They added four more runs in the seventh, two coming on a double by Sadler, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Donald Bush had three hits and scored three times, while Stagner had two hits and three RBIs. 

Shane Banks got the win in relief of Bush, pitching three innings and striking out six.  He allowed two hits and three earned runs.

Josh Hilling had three hits for Christian County, and Jake Glass had three RBIs.

Cole Isom took the pitching loss, giving up four runs in an inning and two-thirds, but none of the four were earned.

I'm actually not sure of the last time Trigg County beat Christian County in baseball.  It hasn't happened in at least the last seven years.  And it hasn't happened in the postseason in over 30 years.  If you played on a Trigg team that beat Christian County , let me know at [email protected].

Trigg County will host Fort Campbell today at 5:30 at the Complex.  You can hear the game on WKDZ 100.9FM and WHVO 96.5FM

Wildcats hosting a Meet the Players night Saturday

The Trigg County Diamond Club is sponsoring a "Meet the Players" Italian style dinner Saturday (March 21) at 6pm in the school cafeteria.

The dinner will include spaghetti, salad, bread, desert, and drink and will cost $7.00. Wildcat head coach Jackie Sholar will be introducing the players this night as well as recognizing the Trigg County Middle School baseball team. Everyone is invited to attend and support the team.

Josh Hunt steps down as Christian County baseball coach

Josh Hunt has stepped down as Christian County baseball coach after two seasons as head coach.

According to a press release from CCHS athletic director Kevin Crider, "Josh is going to be with his wife Miranda as she fights cancer for the third time. He is still going to assist the team as an assistant coach, but could not full fill the responsibilities of a head coach."

Crider said associate head coach Blake Leach would take over as head coach of the Colonels.

Hunt was 50-25 in two seasons as CCHS head coach after serving as an assistant for several years under Crider.

In 2007, Christian County was 23-13 and lost to Henderson County in the region championship game.

This year, the Colonels were 27-12 and won the region title.  They also knocked off Barren County in the semi-state round before losing to PRP in the first round of the state tournament.

I personally wish the Hunt family the best and hope for a full recovery for Miranda.  Josh is one of the most accessible coaches I've ever dealt with and more coaches should work from his example.

Trigg County Diamond Club selling chances on a bank card

The Trigg County Baseball Diamond Club is selling chances to win a $1,000 bank card.

Tickets are five dollars each, and the proceeds will benefit the club and the Dustin Fowler Scholarship Fund.

Be sure to see any baseball player or Diamond Club member for your ticket.  The winner will be drawn on Nov. 4.

Former Wildcat athlete dies

Former Trigg County baseball and football standout Ben Wadlington has died in Florida.

Wadlington, 22, was a 2004 graduate of Trigg County High.  He played fullback and linebacker for the Wildcats and was elected to play in the Western Kentucky Conference East-West All-Star game in 2003.

He also finished fifth in the state powerlifting meet as a junior.

The left-handed Wadlington was a standout on the baseball diamond, pitching a no-hitter against Lyon County his senior year.

Wadlington is also remembered for being involved in a rare high school bench clearing brawl against Caldwell County during his junior year.  HERE is the story I wrote for The Cadiz Record when it happened.

After high school, Wadlington played baseball briefly at St. Catharine's College.

Wadlington died Oct. 16 in Florida of natural causes.  His funeral will be held Saturday at 1pm at Goodwin Funeral Home in Cadiz.

Arrests made in UHA baseball equipment theft

About the only thing not stolen was the bases from Simmons Field.

However, Hopkinsville Police have charged three poeple in connection with the theft of over three-thousand dollars worth of baseball equipment from a University Heights Academy storage facility.

According to WKDZ News, 18-year-old Billy Lee Oliver of Hopkinsville was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft over $300 following a Crimestoppers tip.

A 13-year-old male juvenile and 17-year-old female juvenile were charged Wednesday in connection with the thefts.

Hopkinsville Police said the male juvenile helped Oliver in kicking in the door and taking the equipment.

The female juvenile allowed the males to put the stolen equipment in her vehicle and took the items to another location where they were stored and later sold.

Hopkinsville Police Information Officer Paul Ray said none of those charged were students at UHA.  In fact, he said one of the juveniles was home-schooled and the other two weren't enrolled in a local school.

9-10 All-Stars take second place at Hanson tourney

The Trigg County 9-10 year-old All-Star baseball team took second place last week in a tournament in Hanson.

Trigg played four games on Saturday, losing to Henderson County 10-4 in the championship game.  Brandon Schafer had a double for Trigg, while Ethan Dossett, Zack Colbert, Reid Kuberski, and Brandon Wilson each had singles.

In pool play, Trigg beat Henderson County 14-1 and beat Dawson Springs 12-3.

On Friday, they lost to Webster County 11-10 in eight innings.  Will Allen, Matt Skinner, Colbert, Schafer, and Dossett each had hits for Trigg.

Trigg beat Dawson Springs again on Saturday by an 11-1 score.  Schafer, Skinner, Kuberski, Colbert, and Wilson each had doubles for Trigg County.

Trigg bounced back for a 16-6 win over Webster County as Schafer had two hits for Trigg.

Trigg advanced to the championship game with a 15-5 win over Madisonville.  Jackson Vinson walked three times, and Matt Skinner, Reid Kuberski, Will Allen, Brandon Wilson, and Tyreke Wilson each ahd doubles.

The All-Stars are coached by Kevin Allen, Tommy Allen, Kevin Terrell, and Perry Alexander.

Here are some game shots taken by Joy Colbert.

Brandon Wilson takes a cut at a pitch.

Braden Miller stretches to make a catch at first base.

Ethan Dossett slides safely into home.

Jackson Vinson races for third base.

Zack Colbert is called safe after stealing third base.

Reid Kuberski connects on a pitch for a single to center field.

Matt Skinner brings a pitch homeward

The hottest job of the day belonged to Will Allen behind the plate.

Will Alexander fires a pitch at the Hanson Tournament.

Trigg All-Stars finish fourth

Members of the Trigg County 9-10 All-Star team is (front row) Ethan Dossett, Jackson Vinson, Will Alexander, Zack Colbert, Will Allen (Second row) Braden Miller, Brandon Wilson, Tyreke Wilson, Brandon Schafer, and Andy Terrell.  Coaches are (Back row) Kevin Terrell, Perry Alexander, Kevin Allen, and Tommy Allen.

The Trigg County 9-10-year-old All-Stars finished fourth at the Jake Hodge Benefit Baseball Tourmament over the weekend in Marion.

Trigg beat Crittenden County 6-5 before following with losses to the Union County Vipers 11-1 and to Henderson County 8-4.

The team is coached by Kevin Terrell, Kevin Allen, Tommy Allen, and Perry Alexander

Trigg County Titans finish 7th

The Trigg County Titans 12-year-old All-Star baseball team finished 7th out of 17 teams over the weekend at the Baseball Players Association World Series in Owensboro.

Trigg entered Saturday's games with a record of 1-1.  They beat the Evansville Lightning 9-3 Thursday before losing to Murray 9-5 Friday.

On Saturday, they beat the Central Kentucky Legends of Elizabethtown 11-9.  Trigg overcame an 8-3 deficit to get the win as Corbin Estes and Nick Allen had big hits for Trigg County.

Trigg lost to Evansville East 5-4 Saturday night as Clark Adams pitched four strong innings in relief but came up short.

There were 17 teams from four different states at the event.

28 years ago today...

It was 28 years ago today that I watched my first Major League Baseball game in person.

It was a Phillies/Reds game at old Riverfront Stadium on July 22, 1980.  I remember it rained that morning and there was no batting practice.  Before the game, I bought my first plastic helmet.  Remember those?   It was a Cubs helmet, and I was probably the only person in attendance wearing one.

When I pulled up an old box score of the game, I had forgotten how many future Hall of Famers played in that game.  HOFers for the Phillies included Mike Schmidt (3B) and Steve Carlton (P).  HOFers for the Reds were Johnny Bench (C) and Tom Seaver (P).  Pete Rose also played in the game for the Phillies.

Bob Boone hit the game's only home run.

Mario Soto oupitched Steve Carlton for the win.  Soto pitched a complete game nine-hitter to get the win.  Carlton took the loss.  Tug McGraw, father of country singer Tim McGraw, pitched the final two innings for the Phils.  Carlton was 24-9 that year and pitched an incredible 301 innings.

Other things I remember about the game:

• The big scoreboard in center field was neat.  I remember the Cubs beat the Giants that day (3-1).
• It was the first time I ever ate peanuts I had to shell.
• There was only 28,079 in attendance, but it seemed like half a million
• I always thought Bake McBride was a cool name.  The 1980 Phillies had players by the name of Tug, Bake, Del, Ozzie, Nino, Sparky, and Dicky on their team.
• The Phillies lost the game 3-2 but went on to win the World Series that year.
• The game featured five players that later managed in the Major Leagues -- Bob Boone, Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, John Vukovich, and Ray Knight.

I later went back to Riverfront two other times -- in 1994 and 1995 before it was torn down. 

Some things you never forget.  Your first Major League baseball game is one of them.

Dawson Springs and Tradewater Park get statewide attention

Dawson Springs and Tradewater Park got some statewide attention this week in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Ryan Allesi was at the same July 3 game I went to and put together a nice story detailing the history of the park and how it came to be rebuilt.

CLICK HERE for the story

Trigg Titans tie for third at tourney

The Trigg County Titans 12-year-old baseball team tied for third place at the Play It Again Sports Baseball Tournament in Hopkinsville over the weekend.

The Titans beat the West Kentucky Blazers Friday behind shut out pitching from Cole Gardner.  On Saturday, the Titans beat the Murray Blaze 10-7 and beat Princeton 9-8 before losing to the A & J Bombers from Illinois in the semifinals.

Last week, the Titans finished fifth at the Baseball Players Association State Tournament in Owensboro, finishing with a 2-2 record.

This week, the Titans will play in the BPA World Series in Owensboro.  They will play the Evansville Lightning at 2pm Thursday.

Team members are Corbin Estes, Kullen Garner, Cole Gardner, Trace Kuberski, Clark Adams, Nick Allen, Ben Wigand, Luke McKenzie, Reid Kuberski, Tyler Estes, Caleb McIntosh and Hunter Allen. They are coached by Gant Gardner, Kevin Garner and Jeff Wigand.

Trigg County All-Stars in action

The Trigg County Wildcats 7-8 year-old All-Star team competed in a tournament at Crittenden County ove the weekend.  They opened with a 17-14 win over Crittenden County Thursday, cranking out 30 hits including an inside-the-park home run by Savion Radford.

Here is a picture of the All-Star team

Tradewater Pirates host doubleheader tonight

The Tradewater Pirates will host Farmington tonight in a doubleheader at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs.

The first game will begin at 5pm.

The Pirates are 1.5 games in first place in the KIT League.

Trigg All-Stars in action

Trigg County's 7-8-year-old All-Star teams were in action Friday and Saturday in a tournament in Eddyville.

The team coached by Ashley Plymale and Scotty Hampton lost to the Crittenden County All-Stars 13-6 Friday.  Trigg scored six runs in the first inning but was shut down the rest of the way.

On Saturday, Union County scored two late runs to beat Trigg 14-13.

I don't have any other details of the games other than the scores.  I do have some details of Trigg's other team, coached by Kevin Terrell, Kerry Ford, and Billy Fortner, because I kept the stats for them.  So here goes.

Trigg rapped out 21 hits in beating Lyon County 18-8 in four innings Friday.

Trigg scored six runs in the first, third, and fourth innings.

Tyler Ladd had three singles and drove in three runs.  Jase Polley had a single, double, and triple and knocked in three runs.  Trent Bugg and Jamarion Wilson each had three hits, Trevor Cortner had two hits and an RBI, Grayson Ford had two hits, and Darrin Brown had two hits and two RBIs.  Jake Terrell, Zack McIntosh, and Micah Brown each had singles for Trigg.

On Saturday, Caldwell County scored five runs in the first, fourth, and fifth innings to beat Trigg County 17-8 in five innings.

Zack McIntosh, Tyler Ladd, and Jamarion Wilson each had two hits for Trigg County.  Jase Polley had a three-run triple, and Trevor Cortner had an RBI double.

Grayson Ford, Trent Bugg, Jake Terrell, and Darrin Brown each had a single, and Micah Brown had a single and two RBIs.

Trigg advanced out of pool play and lost to Union County 14-7 Saturday afternoon.  The game was tied 7-7 before Union County pulled away.  I wasn't at the game and don't have any game stats for you.  But I do have some pictures.

Grayson Ford tags out a Caldwell County runner Saturday.

Tyler Ladd had five hits in his first five at bats in the tournament.

Jase Polley had two triples and four RBIs in Trigg's first two games.

Trent Bugg stretches on a force play at second base against Caldwell County Saturday.

Trevor Cortner had three hits and two RBIs in Trigg's first two tourney games.

Micah Brown rounds third base on his way to one of Trigg County's 18 runs against Lyon County.

Trigg Pee Wee All-Stars to play tonight

Trigg County's 7-8-year-old Pee Wee League All-Star teams will play in a tournament in Eddyville tonight and tomorrow.

Trigg has two different teams in the six-team event.

The team coached by Kevin Terrell and Kerry Ford will play Lyon County at 6pm.  The team coached by Ashley Plymale and Scotty Hampton will play tonight at 7:30pm. 

All games will be at Lee S. Jones Park on Kentucky 93, just south of Eddyville.

The teams will play again on Saturday morning.

The 11-12-year-old Trigg Little League team is also playing in a tournament in Eddyville tonight and Saturday.

Jamey Guinn to play baseball at Brescia

Trigg County will be sending another athlete to college to play sports.  Jamey Guinn will attend Brescia University in Owensboro and play baseball.

"That's a good deal for him, and I'm happy he can keep playing baseball there.  It seems like a good fit for him," said TCHS head coach Jackie Sholar.

Guinn hit .329 with a home run and 24 RBIs for the Wildcats.  He had a .449 on base percentage and .461 slugging percentage.

Brescia is an NAIA school that competes in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Bearcats were 20-24 last year but won 14 of their final 20 games.

Guinn could see some early playing time.  There's only one first baseman listed on the Brescia roster.

Thanks to Monty Stagner for the picture.

Reds win little league tournament title

Members of the little league champion Reds are (front row) Jacob Green, Matt Skinner, Jackson Vinson, Patrick Burks, James Thomas, (second row) Hunter Allen, Tony Zelena, Reid Kuberski, Annie Grubbs, and Codie Hill.  Coaches are Jeff Zelena and Roger Skinner.

Members of the Cardinals team that finished second in the little league tournament are (front row) Justin Batley, Zack Colbert, Arianna Brown, Justin Hancock, Brook Olin, Braden Miller (second row) Benton Miller, Michael White, Trey Lancaster, Skylar Pool, Andy Terrell, and Ryan Gallogly.  Coaches are Mike Pool and Eddie White.

The Reds beat the Cardinals 9-2 Friday to win the Trigg County Little League tournament title at the Complex.

Hunter Allen scored twice, and Reid Kuberski, Tony Zelena, and Matthew Skinner each had hits for the Reds.

Andy Terrell and Justin Hancock each had hits for the Cardinals.

Thanks to Joy Colbert for the pictures.

A visit to the Tradewater Pirates

After giving scoring updates on the daily sportsbyte every day for the past few weeks, I decided it was time to check out the Tradewater Pirates and pay a visit to historical Riverside Park.

I was not disappointed.

Thursday was the annual Independence Day celebration for Dawson Springs at Riverside Park.  Baseball.  Games.  Food. Fireworks.  A good time was had by all.

The baseball park was rebuilt in 1999, with a giant covered wooden grandstand behind home plate.  There is also a wooden concession stand behind the grandstand that features some of the best ballpark food I've had.  And unlike the Ham Festival, I didn't have to take out a small loan to feed me and the kids.

The historic ballpark is located on a wooded bend of the Tradewater River just as you go into Dawson Springs from the south.

The park was the spring training home for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1914-17 when Dawson Springs was at the height of popularity because of it's springs.

Several weeks ago, I interviewed Rick Hendrickson, the voice of the Tradewater Pirates.  He gave some more history of the ballpark, talking about how Pirate Hall of Famer Honus Wagner would fish in the adjacent Tradewater River in between practice games.

Now it's home to the Tradewater Pirates, a team in the Kentucky Illinois Tennessee (KIT) League, made up of college players from across the country.

The first place Pirates beat a team from Owensboro 8-3 in front of a large and vocal home crowd Thursday.  Afterward, the crowd was treated to a fireworks show as good as any in western Kentucky.

If you get a chance, visit Riverside Park in Dawson Springs and watch the Pirates play.

The Tradewater River

The wooden grandstand behind home plate at Riverside Park

A view from the grandstand

Miss Dawson Springs Keri Lynn Dunbar was busy selling raffle tickets to the fans.

And of course, the highlight of the night was the fireworks show after the Tradewater victory.

Tyler Gilliland named Second Team All-State

Christian County pitcher/outfielder Tyler Gilliland has been named Second Team All-State by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association, while his teammates got shut out in the selection process.

Gilliland, who has signed to play baseball at Western Kentucky University, missed part of the season with a shoulder injury but still managed to be the winning pitcher for the Colonels in both the Eighth District and Second Region Tournament championship games.

Gilliland's future teammate at Western, Issac Vaughn of Henderson County, was also named Second Team All-State.

Mark Roberts of Henderson County was named Honorable Mention All-State, yet was voted KHSBCA Second Region Player of the Year.  Henderson County coach Nathan Isenberg was voted region coach of the year, and Nathan Parks of Madisonville was voted assistant coach of the year.

PRP infielder Zack Cox, who has signed with Arkansas, was named the 2008 Mr. Baseball.  Cox, a 20th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit .457 with seven homers and 46 RBIs.  On the mound, he was 10-0 with a 0.97 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 67 innings.

His coach, Bill Miller, was named Kentucky Coach of the Year after winning his fourth state title.  Miller now has a 29-year record of 861-220 as head coach.

CLICK HERE for the Kentucky All-State Baseball Teams

PRP 7 Christian County 1

Christian County's baseball came to an end with a 7-1 loss to Pleasure Ridge Park in the quarterfinals of the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament in Lexington.

PRP scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings before sealing the win with three runs in the seventh inning.

Josh Hilling drove in Colton Ellis for Christian County's lone run in the fourth inning.

Alex Hornbeck had two hits and drove in two runs for PRP (36-4), who will play Apollo tomorrow in one semifinal.  Lawrence County plays Lexington Catholic in the other semifinal.

Ellis and Daron Morris each had two hits for Christian County, whose season ends with a record of 27-12.

CLICK HERE FOR A GAME BOXSCORE

Christian County vs. Pleasure Ridge Park

Christian County (27-11) plays Pleasure Ridge Park (35-4) tonight in the final game of the first round of the KHSAA Baseball Tournament.

CLICK HERE to see Christian County's season stats

CLICK HERE for a PRP Roster

CLICK HERE for PRP's season stats

CLICK HERE to see the bracket for the state baseball tournament

CLICK HERE for the link to streaming audio of the state tournament from the KHSAA.

Christian County 6 Barren County 5

Christian County is off to the State Baseball Tournament after a 6-5 win over Barren County in the semi-state round at Henderson County.  The Colonels won the best-of-three series 2-0.

Christian County rallied from a 5-0 deficit, with Jordan Williams knocking in the go-ahead runs with a fourth inning single.  Colton Ellis had three hits for the Colonels, who have won eight of their last 10 semi-state games.

Dylan Carroll overcame some early trouble and pitched a complete game, running his record to 10-2 on the season.

Christian County (27-13) advances to next week's state baseball tournament at Applebee's Park in Lexington.  They will play Pleasure Ridge Park (35-4) next Thursday at 8:30pm in the first round.   PRP ripped Anderson County 15-0 to win their semi-state series.

Christian County 13 Barren County 7

Christian County exploded for six runs in the third inning to beat Barren County 13-7 in the first game of the semi-state round of the State Baseball Tournament in Henderson County.

Daron Morris drove in five runs with a two-run single in the second inning and a 3-run home run in the third.

Jordan Williams also had a pair of two-run singles for the Colonels, who won their seventh game in their last nine semi-state contests. 

Christian County was three outs away from winning the game in five innings, but Barren County scored four runs in the top of the fifth to prolong the game and added two more runs in the seventh inning.

Tyler Gilliland picked up the pitching win on the mound for the Colonels.

Christian County improves to 26-11 with their sixth straight win, while Barren County fell to 27-11.

The teams return to action Thursday night at 7pm in Henderson for game two of the best-of-three series.  If the Colonels win, they move on to Lexington for the state tournament.  If Barren County wins, it forces a deciding game on Friday.

Christian County vs. Barren County

Christian County begins play in the semi-state round of the state baseball tournament as the Colonels will play Fourth Region champ Barren County today at 7pm at Henderson County High School.

Christian County is 25-11 on the season and enters today's contest with a five-game winning streak.  They have also won six of their last eight games at the semi-state round.

Barren County beat Greenwood 9-7 Saturday to win the school's first-ever region baseball title.  The Trojans are 27-10 and like Christian County, have won five games in a row.

The semi-state round is a best of three series with all three games at Henderson County.

To read more about Barren County, CLICK HERE for a story from the Glasgow Daily Times.

Is minor league baseball one step closer to coming to Bowling Green?

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerece is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a new minor league baseball stadium.

The 4,000-seat stadium will be built between Seventh and Eighth Avenues and Kentucky Street.  A nearly 800-space parking garage is also slated to be built.

The groundbreaking comes on the heels of news that the owner Columbus Catfish, a Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, is working on a deal to relocate the team to Bowling Green, according to OurSportsCentral.com.  Columbus currently plays in the South Atlantic League, which also has the Lexington Legends as a member.

It would be good news for baseball fans in western Kentucky if it comes to fruition.

Trigg County Wildcat Baseball Banquet

The Trigg County Wildcat Baseball team was recognized at their annual awards banquet Sunday at the school.

Will Stagner and Donald Bush (pictured right) were named the Co-MVPs for the season.

Click HERE for a Monty Stagner photo gallery with the entire list of varsity and JV award winners.

Trigg County finished with a 13-17 record, claiming the top seed in the district before losing to Lyon County in the first round of the district.

The Wildcats have posted double-digits in wins in four consecutive seasons for the first time in at least 50 years.

The 30 wins in consecutive seasons is the most since 1986 (19) and 1985 (14).

Second Region Tournament Pairings

Here are the matchups for the Second Region Baseball and Softball Tournaments that are scheduled to begin at Henderson County High School Monday, weather permitting.

CLICK HERE for the Second Region Baseball Tournament Bracket

CLICK HERE for the Second Region Softball Tournament Bracket

District Baseball Tournament Brackets

Here are the brackets for the district baseball tournaments in the Second Region that get underway Monday

• FIFTH DISTRICT Tournament at Lyon County
• SIXTH DISTRICT Tournament at Webster County
• SEVENTH DISTRICT Tournament at Madisonville
• EIGHTH DISTRICT Tournament at Christian County

Trigg County 11 Muhlenberg South 5

Trigg County scored in bunches as they beat Muhlenberg South 11-5 Friday in Greenville.

The Wildcats scored three times in the second inning, four times in the fifth, and three more times in the sixth inning.  They had 12 hits in the game.

"We played a good defensive game, and hit well in situations," Wildcat head coach Jackie Sholar.  "We played a complete game, and that was good to see with the district tournament next week."

Will Stagner had two doubles and two singles on his way to driving in three runs.  Shane Banks added three singles and two RBIs, and Mitch Rogers had two hits for the Wildcats, who improve to 13-15 on the season.

Stagner also picked up the win on the mound.

Skip Pisa and Willie Wilson did not play Friday.

The Wildcats return to action today at Marshall County in a 3pm game in Draffenville.

Today's games cancelled

Trigg County's games today have been cancelled because of the rain.

The Wildcat baseball team was scheduled to host Hopkins County Central.  Their next game is at Muhlenberg South Friday.  They will play at Marshall County Saturday.

Today's softball game at Mayfield has also been cancelled.  In fact, Trigg County's Friday game at Caldwell County has been cancelled because of Caldwell County's graduation, also scheduled for Friday.

Saturday's home game with University Heights, which was originally scheduled to be aired on Boomer Radio, has also been cancelled.

Game recaps will appear next week.

The next Trigg County softball game will be Monday against Lyon County in the Fifth District Softball Tournament at Lyon County.

Trigg County 15 Dawson Springs 2

Trigg County scored eight runs in the third inning and no less than two in the other three as they pounded Dawson Springs 15-2 Monday at the Complex. 

It was Senior Night for the Wildcats, who honored Tyler Greenman and Jamey Guinn in pregame festivities.

Guinn then went out and had a double and two RBIs and picked up the pitching win by scattering three hits over five innings and struck out six.

Greenman and R.J. Sholar also had a double and two RBIs, and Mitch Rogers had an RBI double as seven different Wildcats had at least one hit.  They also took advantage of seven walks issued by Panther pitchers.

Trigg County improved to 12-15 with the win and will play at Hopkins County Central Thursday.

Trigg County loses doubleheader

Trigg County lost a doubleheader Saturday, losing both games at Union County.

Trigg lost to Union County 6-5 in the first game and 14-0 to Owensboro in the second game.

The loss to Union County overshadowed an unassisted triple play turned by Wildcat shortstop Donald Bush, who caught a line drive, tagged the runner before he got back to second base, and applied the tag to the runner from first base who was running on the pitch.

Trigg County scored three times in the seventh inning to tie the game at 5-5.  Bush had an RBI double, and Jamey Guinn followed with an RBI single to force the tie.

Union County (11-16) scored their winning run in the bottom of the seventh after two were out.  Two errors and two singles plated the winning run for the Braves.

Trigg outhit Union 12-7 but committed four errors on the day.

R.J. Sholar had two singles and a double, while Guinn, Bush, and Mitch Rogers each had two hits for the Wildcats.

Will Stagner took the loss on the mound for the Wildcats.

In the second game, also played at Union County, Owensboro scored six times in the first inning and six more in the fourth to win 14-0.

"It just wasn't a good day for us.  We're going backward instead of forward," said Wildcat head coach Jackie Sholar.  "Our defense is killing us right now.  We've been working on it, but it just hasn't been coming around."

Trigg had four more errors against Owensboro after a four-error output earlier in the day against Union County.

The Wildcats were held to three hits on the afternoon -- singles by Mitch Rogers, Donald Bush, and R.J. Sholar.

The Wildcats fell to 11-15 with the loss and will host Dawson Springs for Senior Night Monday at the Complex.