Missed opportunities at the plate came back to bite the Eagles on Tuesday, as it eventually led to a walk-off double for senior Jackson Loucks and a big 1-0 district win for Daviess County.
Apollo found themselves with some early scoring opportunities to start the game, getting back-to-back singles in the first two at-bats. Nothing came of them though, as well as the pair of singles the Eagles grabbed in the third thanks to a runner being picked off at third and then a line out to send it into the bottom half of the inning tied at 0-0.
The Panthers weren’t having much luck either, unable to cash in on a double by senior Layton Huskisson in the second and a single from senior Decker Renfrow in the fourth. Sophomore Logan Mewes was keeping Daviess County right in the thick of things despite just two hits in the game for his team, having allowed no runs on five hits, a walk and a strikeout through five innings to keep things at 0-0.
Both teams were able to get a runner on in the sixth, but neither were able to bring one home once again to set things up for a wild finish tied at 0-0 going into the seventh. Apollo found themselves in a good spot as well, getting a leadoff double from senior Aiden Wells to start the inning.
After a strikeout it looked like sophomore Garrett Lanham had sent one back up the middle for the first run of the night, but a diving stop by junior Lake Wilson at short turned into a groundout with a flyout following during the ensuing at-bat to keep the game tied at 0-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers quickly applied pressure at the plate in the bottom half of the inning as well, getting a leadoff double from senior Cason Troutman and a walk from Wilson to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Apollo nearly got out of the jam when junior Will Strode caught a line drive right back at him and tried to get the runner at second as well, but the ball was dropped and left runners on first and second with one down. It was senior Jackson Loucks who stepped up and delivered the Panthers fourth and final hit of the game off the wall in left field to grab the walk-off 1-0 win.
“I was just looking to advance the runners any way I could just to get a better position to win this game,” Loucks said. “Recently I’ve been seeing the ball a lot better and I was just able to groove a fastball there and do a job for my teammates.”
Following a slow start to the season Loucks has turned things around, as Head Coach Austin Clay said that he’s enjoyed watching the senior first baseman during this hot streak.
“He struggled early, but the last couple of weeks I doubt there’s been anybody hotter,” Clay said. “The ball has gotta look like a beach ball to him right now. It’s just a lot of fun to watch right now.”
The senior crew of Loucks, Troutman, Renfrow and Huskisson led the way at the plate with a hit each, while it was Mewes who shined on the bump for the Panthers. His complete-game shutout is just one of a few strong outings from the sophomore lately, as Clay has felt confident when he takes the mound for the red and white.
“Every time he’s been out there it seems like we have a shot to win,” Clay said. “He does such a good job of mixing his pitches, hitting his spots and keeping the hitter off-balance. We had some people make some great plays defensively.”
The win is a big one for Daviess County, moving them to 13-9 overall and 2-3 in district play. With one more district game left in the regular season, the Panthers are hoping to build on this momentum going into a game that will have some playoff seeding implications on the line.
“That’s a really good pitcher and a really good team,” Clay said. “I think we’ve shown this year that we can get beat by anybody and shown that we can beat anybody. It’s why they play the games. I think we’ve got as good a shot to make some noise as just about anybody.”
The Eagles on the other hand suffered another 1-0 district walk-off loss, failing to win despite out-hitting Daviess County 7-4 on the day. This has been a recurring issue for Apollo as of late, as Head Coach Brandon Dennis
“We’ve out hit our opponents and we’ve had runners in scoring position and we just can’t get a big hit,” Dennis said. “We’re either hitting it right at people or are not having competitive at-bats when we need them.”
The Eagles got a strong performance out of Strode in the loss as well, allowing just the one run on four hits while striking out six. With the regular season nearing its end, Dennis was happy to see Will deliver his best outing of the year.
“He was lights out,” Dennis said. “That was his sharpest outing. That’s the deepest he’s gone in a game and I thought he had great command. I thought he did an outstanding job.”
Apollo falls to 16-9 and 2-3 in district play though, tying them with the Panthers in the district standings. They won’t have much time to dwell on the loss though, as they now have to gear back up for their regular season district finale against Owensboro Catholic on the road at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
