The second game of the back-to-back between the McCracken County Mustangs and Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado would once again end in favor of the Mustangs. After a lopsided 12-0 contest the night before, the Second District rivals put on a more competitive matchup, resulting in a 6-0 Mustang victory Wednesday night.
Defense was king for both programs, as McCracken was only able to connect for eight hits, with Tilghman only snagging three. A slew of pop outs and fly outs would pepper the night as bats were connecting, but ball placement wouldn’t stick.
In Tuesdays run-rule, McCracken got up 9-0 after the first two innings, on Wednesday, the first run wouldn’t come until the third for the Mustangs in the form of a sac fly from Kendrick Dunning to bring home Caden Kern.
A much needed insurance run came in a big way in the top of the sixth inning as Gage Reeves walked up in the first at-bat of the inning and hit a bomb over the right field wall, his third homer of the season. Reeves went 1-for-4 on the night with the run and a RBI.
Kern would be the most consistent for the Mustangs, going 2-for-2 with two RBI and got walked twice, while Will Fox and Lane Grace both went 2-for-4, Fox adding two RBI and Grace adding one.
Joshua Penrod controlled the first 5.1 innings of action on the mound, fanning nine batters, walking two and allowing just three hits with an 81-57 pitch-strike count and 21 batters faced. Fox came in relief for the final 1.2 innings, striking out two and walking one.
Continued insurance came in the tops of the sixth and the seventh, leading McCracken to their 6-0 lead and continuing their dominance against Kentucky teams.
Their lone in-state loss came against Christian County in game one of the season, and while they’ve suffered a few more losses along the way, Commonwealth teams haven’t been the issue.
For Tilghman, Brendan Mira nearly went for the complete game, only getting pulled due to the risk of hitting the 120 pitch count. The senior would allow eight hits, six earned runs, walked six and struck out three, with Landon Hinz coming in for relief for four pitches.
McCracken County will take a week off and prepare for a fellow state-ranked team, the University Heights Blazers on Tuesday, April 28 on the road. For Tilghman, they turn right around Thursday to take on Carlisle County on the road.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 6, PADUCAH TILGHMAN 0
MCHS0 0 1 0 0 2 3 — 6 8 0
PTHS0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 1
2B: PT — M. Mira
HR: MC — G. Reeves
TB: MC — G. Reeves 4, C. Kern 2, L. Grace 2, W. Fox 2, K. Dunning 1; PT — B. Mira 2, L. Hinz 1, W. Gower 1
SB: MC — B. Hall, C. Kern, L. Gagnon, W. Buckhalter
CS: PT — W. Gower
RECORDS: MCCRACKEN COUNTY (15-5); PADUCAH TILGHMAN (11-9)