Jim Mashek

RAIDERS TRAVEL TO EDMONSON COUNTY ON TUESDAY; BARREN COUNTY AWAITS BOWLING GREEN

There were twists, and there were turns, and it all started after a weather delay of one hour.

The Bowling Green High School baseball team, honoring its Senior Class of nine players beforehand, survived some choppy waters in slipping past Warren East, 8-7, on Monday night at Harold J. Stihl Field.

The Purples built a 5-0 lead before Warren East sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the sixth inning, putting up a 7-spot to leave the home team with a two-run deficit. Bowling Green got one of those runs back in the bottom half on Markell Yates’ RBI single to left-center field, but the Raiders were just three outs away from a significant victory when pretty much everything fell apart.

Warren East committed two errors, bringing its total to five for the game, while struggling to find the strike zone after Bowling Green loaded the bases with no outs. Harrison Yates used a strong at bat to draw a walk, bringing Landon Gilbert across the plate, before Warren East coach Wes Sanford turned to freshman reliever Trace Cunningham.

Sanford went to five infielders before Cunningham slipped a called third strike past Bowling Green’s Dru Jones, but senior first baseman Eli Kries lashed an RBI single to center field, scoring Grayson Newman from third and lifting the Purples to an 8-7 victory.

Bowling Green improved to 19-10 overall heading into Tuesday’s road trip to Barren County (20-8 overall, 6-0 in the KHSAA’s 15th District) while Warren East (8-18 overall) looks to bounce back on Tuesday evening against Edmonson County (9-11, 4-2 in the KHSAA’s 12th District) in Brownsville.

It’s been a tough season for the Raiders, but Sanford got playing time for several promising young players on Monday, including freshman catcher Brayden Quarles, sophomore right-hander Maddox Lewis and sophomore shortstop Briggs Young, who loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth with a line-drive single to left-center field.

Warren East’s Carter Bessette, Carson Choate, Brenden Bratcher and William Alexander all delivered run-scoring singles in the sixth, and some misadventures in the field also helped the Raiders’ cause. All told, the Raiders stormed to a 7-5 lead before Bowling Green rallied in the final two innings.

Jackson Idlett, the Purples’ starting pitcher, worked 5 1/3 innings before yielding to BGHS teammate Trey Duff in the sixth. In the seventh, Purples third baseman Landon Gilbert retired Bessette at the plate on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning. BGHS right-hander Dru Jones recorded a strikeout to send the Purples back to their bench, and Warren East’s defensive difficulties set the stage for Eli Kries’ game-winning single.

Brenden Bratcher, Warren East’s starting pitcher, got his team to the sixth inning before Raiders coach Wes Sanford turned to his bullpen and sophomore right-hander Maddox Lewis. Bratcher and Warren East teammates William Alexander and Carter Bessette all had two hits apiece.

“It was a nice walk-off win for our seniors, on Senior Night,” BGHS coach Nathan Isenberg said. “All of our seniors contributed at the plate, or on the mound. Once again, we gutted it up and found a way to beat a good team.”

The Purples’ senior class includes pitcher Trey Duff, pitcher Jackson Idlett, infielder/pitcher Luke Idlett, center fielder/pitcher Drew Isenberg, pitcher/first baseman Eli Kries, outfielder Grayson Newman, shortstop Evan Schallert, catcher Harrison Yates and outfielder Markell Yates.

Sanford said the Raiders have shown promise at times, but they remain a work in progress.

“We are getting closer,” he said, “but we just have to gain confidence that we can win against the best teams in our area. Some of the guys are beginning to gain confidence in themselves.”

Bowling Green reliever Trey Duff (1-0) was the winning pitcher.

EDITOR’s NOTE: I’ll be out of town for a family wedding for the next week and will resume coverage of WKU and KHSAA baseball and softball on May 19. Thanks for reading!