The Caldwell County baseball team couldn’t erase a late-inning deficit on Friday night, falling 6-3 at Paducah Tilghman. The Blue Tornado remain undefeated at 6-0, while the Tigers fall to 4-2 with both losses coming to Tilghman.
The Blue Tornado took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring 2 runs on a passed ball followed by a wild pitch. The score held until the bottom of the fifth when junior P Brady Betts doubled to clear the bases and stretch the Tilghman lead to 5-0.
Freshman IF/P Tate VanHoose got the Tigers on the board in the top of the sixth, crossing the plate on a wild pitch. Junior P/OF Gabe East grounded out to first base to bring in sophomore IF/P Cody Holub, but the Tigers still trailed 6-2. In their half of the seventh, VanHooser singled to score senior 1B/P Shane Burns, but the Tigers couldn’t get any closer.
Betts earned the win for the Blue Tornado, going four innings and allowing eights hits, no runs, and striking out four. Senior Jase Ryan Felker took the loss, allowing 6 earned runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked five.
VanHooser finished 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Tigers, with Burns, Felker and East getting two hits each. East had an RBI and Burns and Holub each scored a run.
Caldwell faces another stiff test on Saturday when Henderson County (0-1) makes the trip to Princeton.