To open up their 12th straight trip to the KHSAA Baseball State Tournament, the McCracken County Mustangs turned in a complete team effort to roll past the Bowling Green Purples and into the quarterfinal round, striking early and shutting the Fourth Region champions down defensively to earn the 6-0 victory.
“It was a great team win for our program today, and we’re really excited about the way we played,” said McCracken County head coach Zach Hobbs. “This is just fun, we work all year to be able to have fun in these games. The guys were relaxed coming into it, they were relaxed in batting practice, at the hotel, and it’s one of those deals where I would’ve been more concerned if they were quiet. They certainly weren’t quiet, and this is a group of guys that play hard when it’s time to play hard.”
The success for the Mustangs would start on the top half of the scoreboard, as senior Caden Kern turned in a complete game shutout on the mound. Complemented by seven innings of clean defense behind him, Kern allowed just four hits and two walks against one of the state’s elite offenses, punching out four Purples along the way.
“Caden didn’t even have his best stuff today, but he’s a guy that just goes out and competes in every pitch,” said Hobbs, on Kern’s performance. “He loves these moments, loves playing on the big stage, and he’s been doing it since he was a freshman. He’ll compete for you every time he goes out onto a field, and always give you a chance to win a ballgame.”
Working behind Kern’s clean first two innings, the Mustang bats wouldn’t take long to find their way onto the scoreboard, as Will Fox began his 2-for-3 performance with a lead-off single. After Briar Hall moved Fox along into scoring position with a one-out double, Brady Thompson would break the deadlock, clearing the bases with a two-run single to put McCracken on top through two, 2-0.
Fox’s second hit of the night would come shortly after in the third inning, tacking on with an RBI single to extend the deficit to three runs. Hall (2-for-3, 2B) and Thompson (2-for-2, BB) would also add a second hit to their respective statlines in the fourth inning, each picking up a single.
“The approach at the plate today was great, [Hall and Thompson] came through with some clutch hits to really get us going, and that set up the top of the order to continue that,” Hobbs said, on the Mustangs’ offense. “Fox had a great day offensively, too…We did a great job of staying competitive in at-bats, shortening up on two-strike counts, and taking advantage of any mistakes they made.”
Through the middle innings, the lead would stay at three for the Mustangs, as they left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, before being retired in order across the fifth. However, while still holding the Purples scoreless, a big sixth inning would see the Mustangs break through once more to put the game out of reach. Following a one-out triple for Gage Dugan and a walk dealt to Thompson, Kern would punch a double straight through the middle to plate the pair, providing his own run support as part of a three-hit, three-run inning.
“It was a real team effort, everybody came to play today. We knew what it takes to get to this round, we’re just taking it one day at a time up here, and today was a really good showing for the boys,” said Kern, reflecting on the afternoon. “Not all days are going to be your best day, that’s just how it goes sometimes, and you have to find a way to battle for your team. I was 0-for-3 coming into that last at-bat, and I had to find a way to get a job done, give myself some help on the mound, and I came through.”
Down to their last set of outs, the Purples would once again have no answer for Kern in the seventh, as another one-two-three inning for the left-hander sealed up the 6-0 victory for McCracken.
With the win, the Mustangs have reached the state tournament’s second round for the third straight season, and will return to Legends Field on Saturday morning to meet the Sayre Spartans, following their win over Johnson Central later in the evening.
“I loved what we did today, we just have to keep it going…These guys have the experience, they’ve played in every state tournament, and in who knows how many final four games, so this is the fun part of our year,” Hobbs concluded. “We get to enjoy this ride, and no matter what happens, I get to coach this awesome team for at least a few more days.”MCCRACKEN COUNTY 6, BOWLING GREEN 0
BGHS X X X X X X X — 0 3 1
MCHS 0 2 1 0 0 3 X — 6 10 0
WP: C. Kern; LP: L. Johnson
2B: MCHS — C. Kern, B. Hall, K. Dunning; BGHS — J. Cowan
3B: MCHS — G. Dugan
TB: MCHS — B. Hall 3, G. Dugan 3, B. Thompson 2, C. Kern 2, K. Dunning 2, W. Fox 2, L. Gagnon 1; BGHS — J. Cowan 2, H. Nottmeier 1, L. Gilbert 1
SF: MCHS — L. Gagnon
HBP: BGHS — C. Isenberg
SB: MCHS — A. Hunter, B. Thompson, L. Gagnon; BGHS — H. Nottmeier, L. Gilber
CS: BGHS — G. Rodgers
E: BGHS — J. Cowan
RECORDS: McCracken County (31-8); Bowling Green (34-5)