Jim Mashek

BOWLING GREEN IMPROVES TO 26-4 OVERALL; BOTH SQUADS COULD CONTEND IN KHSAA’s 4th REGION

Evan Schallert, the leadoff man in Bowling Green High School’s lineup, certainly knows his role.

Set the table, pressure the defense, make the plays at second base.

Bowling Green twice trailed by four runs or more in Monday’s non-district game against crosstown rival Warren East, and the Raiders led 9-6 after scoring two runs in the top of the fifth inning. But Schallert and the Purples kept grinding, and after sending it into extra innings with an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, they found a way to get it done at Harold J. Stihl Field.

Luke Idlett’s RBI single to shallow right field with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning sent BGHS teammate Harrison Yates home with the winning run, allowing the Purples to escape with a 10-9 victory over the Raiders.

“When we got down early, it motivated us a little,” Schallert said. “(Warren East) kept punching back, but we just had to keep the train going … pass the baton. This game’s a good learning experience for us.”

Bowling Green used five pitchers to turn back the Raiders, and the game was moved from Warren East to the Purples’ all-artificial turf field after heavy rain Sunday night and Monday morning. The irony wasn’t lost on Warren East coach Wes Sanford, particularly after the game went into extra innings.

“Our field was soaked. We made the call at about noon,” Sanford said. “We just kept getting dumped on, by the rain. I’m proud of my guys, for competing … We’ve taken a lot of lumps over the season, but I’m proud that they continue to grind.”

Bowling Green improved to 26-4 overall while extending its winning streak to seven games. The Purples haven’t lost since getting swept in their home-and-home series with South Warren in KHSAA 14th District play. They’ll have five more regular-season games before they square off again with South Warren in the ‘cut-throat’ 2-vs.-3 semifinal, also at the Purples’ home field.

The loser will pack their bags for the season, and the winning team will automatically advance to the KHSAA 4th Region Tournament at WKU’s Nick Denes Field.

Warren East dropped to 16-13 overall, losing for the first time in seven games.

“Every time we got back in it, we let them go back in front,” BGHS coach Adam Whitt said. “A lot of freebies. A season high in walks, seven, we hit a batter, three errors … Our margin for error is not very big, for us to win games.

“We did some things that aren’t part of our winning formula, but I told my guys I was proud of the way they kept fighting back.”

The Purples needed a monumental break to get the chance for junior first baseman Luke Idlett to deliver the game-winning hit.

Bowling Green’s Harrison Yates struck out with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but the ball got away from a wild pitch, and the throw from Warren East catcher Kavien Hinton was off the mark, allowing Yates to move into second base. A wild pitch from the Raiders’ Brenden Bratcher sent Yates to third, and BGHS third baseman Reid Buser drew a walk on his third consecutive plate appearance to put runners on the corners.

That brought Idlett to the plate, and the Purples’ first baseman drove a Bratcher pitch into shallow right field for the game-winning, walk-off hit.

“It was a fastball, middle away, and I was able to keep my weight back to hit it the other way,” Idlett said.

Junior second baseman Evan Schallert led the Purples with a 4-for-4 showing at the plate, and teammates James Yarbrough, Max Buchanon and Dru Jones all finished with two hits. Ben Davenport, the BGHS starting shortstop, worked the eighth inning on the mound and was the winning pitcher.

Warren East’s Grant White finished the game with three hits and three RBI, and teammates Kevien Hinton and Tray Price each had two hits. The Raiders will play host to Cumberland County on Thursday, followed by a home game against Butler County on Saturday.

Bowling Green is on the road against Franklin-Simpson on Tuesday — weather permitting, of course. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Purples are still awaiting the possible return of junior football/baseball star Grayson Newman. Newman, a versatile player in both sports, sustained a fractured ankle in practice, before the Purples opened the season with 16 consecutive victories.