For the third straight year, and ninth time overall, the McCracken County Mustangs are heading to the final four of the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament, as they overcame early adversity on their way to a 6-1 win over the Sayre Spartans in Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup.
“We’re comfortable in these kinds of games, comfortable on this stage, and we work all year long to be in this spot,” said McCracken County head coach Zach Hobbs, following the win. “We work these kids harder than most people realize. They buy in and make sacrifices to be a part of this program, that’s all in preparation to be right here and enjoy these moments.”
Trouble looked to be brewing almost immediately for the Mustangs, as Sayre lead-off hitter Gary Gibson would kickstart his 2-for-2 day with a third-pitch triple off of McCracken starter Josh Penrod. Just a few more pitches later, a hard-hit grounder toward second base would be enough to score the opening run, giving the Spartans an early edge.
“That Gibson kid, he’s a good hitter. We told our guys that we weren’t going to let him beat us, then he puts one off the wall on the third pitch of the game,” Hobbs said. “They’re a great team, they’re well coached, but our guys just stayed the course and knew that we would strike.”
The Spartans’ fast start wouldn’t rattle Penrod, though, as the left-hander escaped the inning without any further damage before going on to give the Mustangs just the start they were looking for from there on out. Through the rest of his six-inning outing, the senior would allow just two further hits for a total of three, striking out five while dealing only one walk.
“Penrod settled in, he pitched well for the rest of the game and really battled,” said Hobbs, on Penrod’s day. “Him and coach Coleman do a great job of getting on the same page calling pitches, all of his pitches looked the same coming out of his hands, and he was able to throw both his fastball and off-speed for strikes. He’s just a competitor.”
With the defense dialed in following the early setback, it wouldn’t be long before the Mustangs’ bats heated up and found a response. Coming with one out in the back half of the third, singles from Brady Thompson and Caden Kern would bring Lucas Gagnon to the plate, who flipped the game on its head with a single swing of the bat, plating both runs with a triple.
“I saw a straight single off the bat and thought I’d score one, but [the outfielder] missed the ball and I was able to get all the way around,” said Gagnon, who went on to put together a 2-for-4 afternoon. “That was a big turning point in the game…We knew it was going to be a battle; it was great to get a couple right after they did, because we knew it’d take more than one to win a game here.”
The Mustangs would add on before the inning was out, as a single for Gage Reeves drove in Gagnon, making it 3-1 through three.
After being without a baserunner between the second and fifth innings, Sayre would threaten with a pair on to open the sixth, but a line drive hauled in by Reeves would turn into a double play at first, keeping the deficit to two through the middle of the inning. That same frame, a lead-off double for Lane Grace would spark a three-spot for McCracken to pad their lead heading to the seventh, 6-1.
In that seventh inning, the Spartans wouldn’t be able to find a way through Will Fox in his lone frame of relief, as the Mustang defense put the finishing touches on the 6-1 victory to book their spot in the semifinals.
“[Penrod] was a little mad coming out after six, but we had Fox ready to go, and that was the spot we were waiting for. He came in, did a great job for us and slammed the door,” Hobbs said.
With the win, the Mustangs advance to meet Boyd County in the final four. First pitch from Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington is set for next Friday at 10 a.m.
“They get to keep playing baseball, and I get to keep coaching this great group of kids for another week. I couldn’t be more excited,” Hobbs concluded. “We’ll come back up next week, stay relaxed, and have fun with it. Win, lose, or draw, I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 6, SAYRE 1
SYRE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 4 1
MCHS 0 0 3 0 0 3 X — 6 9 0
WP: J. Penrod; LP: B. Heinrich
2B: MCHS - L. Grace
3B: MCHS - L. Gagnon; SYRE - G. Gibson
TB: MCHS - L. Gagnon 4, C. Kern 2, L. Grace 2, B. Thompson 1, G. Dugan 1, G. Reeves 1, W. Fox 1; SYRE - G. Gibson 4, G. Lemonica 1, J. Acevedo 1
HBP: MCHS - B. Hall
SB: MCHS - C. Kern 2, L. Gagnon 2, B. Thompson, G. Dugan
CS: SYRE - G. Gibson
E: SYRE - E. Jansky
RECORDS: McCracken County (32-8); Sayre (27-10)