For six innings, Trigg County and Livingston Central were locked in a pitcher’s duel to decide the top seed in the Fifth District Baseball Tournament. And then the seventh inning happened.
Riley Stallons and Hayden Cunningham homered in the top of the seventh to give Trigg County and 8-3 lead. Cameron Dean hit a three-run bomb for Livingston in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Cardinals to within 8-6. Trigg was able to get the final two outs and hang on for an 8-6 win.
Both Trigg County and Livingston Central finish district play with identical 5-1 records and will have to flip a coin to determine the top seed in the Fifth District Baseball Tournament.
Trigg County’s Ashton Plymale and Livingston Central’s Cameron Head didn’t have their dominant stuff, but were doing a good job keeping the other team’s hitters at bay.
Braxton Bebout’s RBI single gave Livingston a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Trigg County answered with a run in the second when Jake Terrell put down a well-executed squeeze play that scored Cunningham.
Livingston took a 3-1 lead in the third on a passed ball and RBI single by Dean. But the Cardinals gave back a run in the fourth on a passed ball of their own.
Cunningham tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single that set up the wild seventh inning.
Trevor Cortner led off the inning with a single, and Riley Stallons lined a pitch over the left centerfield fence for his fifth home run of the year.
Savion Radford followed with a double off the left field fence, and Darrin Brown was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game. Cunningham’s first career home run followed to chase Head from the game and give the Wildcats an 8-3 lead.
Bailey Vaughn led off the home half of the seventh inning, and Head induced a walk. Dean smacked the next pitch over the left field fence to make it an 8-6 game.
Jake Terrell came on to record the final two outs and pick up his second save of the season and secure the win for the Wildcats.
Cunningham had three hits and four RBIs for the Wildcats, and Cortner added three hits from the leadoff spot.
Plymale improved to 5-1 on the season with six hits and six earned runs allowed in 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts.
Dean had three hits and four RBIs for Livingston Central (11-6). Head struck out six and allowed eight hits in six innings of work.
Trigg County (12-8) will host Hopkinsville Tuesday, with their seniors to be recognized at 5pm at the Complex.