Hopkinsville got off to a quick start and held off Caldwell County for a 9-5 victory in the 2nd Region baseball championship game on Thursday.
Down 5-1 in the middle of the second inning, Caldwell clawed its way back to within 6-5 and had the tying and go-ahead runs on base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
However, Cody Holub’s line drive was snared by second baseman Preston Chaudoin to preserve Hopkinsville’s lead.
Hoptown (21-13) then tacked on three big runs in the top of the seventh to gain some breathing room before Robert Justus shut the door on Caldwell in the bottom of the frame.
The game was played at Western Kentucky University’s Nick Denes Field after heavy rains on Wednesday not only forced the postponement of the title tilt at Union County, but left virtually every alternative in the 2nd Region unplayable.
In a unique twist, not only was the 2nd Region championship game moved outside the footprint of the 2nd Region for what is believed to be the first time ever, but the game was followed by the completion of the 3rd Region final between Breckinridge County and Owensboro Catholic. Those two teams started their game Wednesday in Owensboro before being suspended in the third inning.
Bowling Green is 4th Region country. WKU hosted the 4th Region tourney earlier in the week.
Layne Jorgensen drove in the first run of the game for Hoptown with a single to left in the top of the first inning. Caldwell averted a huge inning by turning a 4-6-3 double play. However, another run came in on that grounder, staking Hoptown to a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Holub’s two-out single plated Oliver Parker, who had doubled, to make it a 2-1 game.
But Hopkinsville responded with three runs in the second to extend the margin to 5-1. Blake Balthrop singled home the first run of the inning. Caleb Bapp later singled home two more runs in the frame.
Meanwhile, Caldwell put up single tallies in each of the first four innings to try to creep back in it.
Levin East’s RBI single in the bottom of the second got Caldwell within 5-2.
Tate VanHooser led off the third inning with a mammoth home run over the 370 mark in left-center. That made it 5-3.
VanHooser’s pop-up double to left in the fourth plated another run to trim the Hopkinsville lead to 5-4.
But Hoptown would not let Caldwell get even.
Brian Wolf’s two-out double in the top of the fifth brought in John Duvall to give Hopkinsville a two-run edge at 6-4.
Caldwell’s best chance came in the bottom of the sixth when Levin East doubled with one out. Gabe East walked and Oliver Parker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. VanHooser drove in another run when he hit into a fielder’s choice to third. That made it 6-5. Holub then hit a line drive that looked like it might tie the contest, but Chaudoin grabbed it to end the inning.
A leadoff double by Bapp in the seventh set the stage for a three-run Hopkinsville rally. A pair of Caldwell errors were also big in the inning. Balthrop singled home the ninth run of the game to make it 9-5 and give Hoptown a nice cushion going to the home half of the frame.
Justus retired the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh inning. He gave up a walk and a single, but then coaxed a fly ball to left to end the game and send Hopkinsville into Saturday’s sectional game, which will also be played in Bowling Green.
Justus went the final 1.2 innings on the mound for Hopkinsville without allowing a run or a hit. Justus picked up the save while Logan Durst, who pitched the middle 2.2 innings, got the win. Durst allowed one earned run on two base hits while striking out four and walking one.
Offensively, Bapp went 2-for-3 and drove in two for Hoptown. Jorgensen was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For Caldwell, VanHooser was 2-for-4 and knocked in three while Levin East was also 2-for-4.
Caldwell, which was appearing in the regional championship game for the third time in four years, finishes the year with an 18-16 record. Caldwell claimed titles in 2016 and 2017.
Hopkinsville won its first regional crown since 2015.
Caldwell and Hoptown were meeting in the regional title tilt for the first time ever.
Both teams were runners-up in their respective districts — Caldwell to Madisonville-North Hopkins in the 7th District and Hopkinsville to Christian County in the 8th.
Hopkinsville next faces 1st Region champion McCracken County (30-7) in Saturday’s 4 p.m. sectional game at WKU.
The sectional winner advances to the state quarterfinals at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington on Thursday.