The Owensboro Southern 10U and Daviess County 11U Little League All-Star teams began play this weekend in the State Tournament in Corbin, KY. Southern won its first two games, defeating Hazard-Perry and North Laurel, while Daviess County defeated Corbin in its first-round game.
In Southern’s first contest, David Fentress put the All-Stars on the board first with a 2-RBI single. John Blair and River Martin added a pair of RBI singles in the second, giving the squad a 5-1 lead.
Hazard-Perry rallied in the third inning with two runs, followed by one in the fourth, trimming its deficit to 5-4, but Southern quickly responded with an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth and the eventual 6-4 win.
Aaron Higdon and Martin led all hitters with two a piece, while Fentress recorded a game-high three RBIs. Higdon also earned the win on the mound, surrendering just three runs (two earned) on four hits.
Haddon Brooks entered in relief, allowing one unearned run on no hits, while Levi Marks snagged the save.
Sunday’s game against North Laurel was quite the opposite, as Southern got the bats rolling for an 18-8 victory.
Higdon went three for three at the plate, including a double in the fifth inning and three RBIs. Martin also added three hits on the night, while Henry Evans and Blair each added two hits.
Southern jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first frame before extending it to 9-6 after the second. North-Laurel cut into its lead with two unanswered runs in the third.
It was the Southern show from the fourth inning on, with six unanswered runs in the fourth and three in the fifth for the eventual mercy-rule victory.
Daviess County defeated the home-standing Corbin 7-2 in its opening-round game on Sunday.
The All-Stars led 2-1 after the first inning after Justin Maxey led off the bottom half with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on an RBI single by Jake Watkins. Carson Ashby followed with a single, advancing Watkins to second, who eventually scored on another wild pitch.
Ashby was big at the plate for the squad, going for 2-3 with three RBIs. Watkins was the team’s other double-digit hitter with two. Maxey, Watkins, Ashby, and Jaxen Bickett combined for the team’s seven runs.
Watkins earned the win on the mound, surrendering just two runs (one earned) on two hits in just over two innings. Maxey and Gaynor both entered in relief, allowing no runs on a combined two hits allowed.
Daviess County will play Nelson County tomorrow at 5 p.m., while Southern will play Marion County at 9 a.m.
