Jim Mashek

KHSAA 14th DISTRICT CHAMPION TO BE DECIDED ON TUESDAY EVENING; No. 1-RANKED SOUTH WARREN SOFTBALL REMAINS UNBEATEN IN 37 GAMES

Emotions were running high on Monday night at South Warren Ballpark.

The homestanding Spartans, last year’s KHSAA 4th Region champion, squared off against crosstown rival Greenwood High School, the 14th District’s No. 2 seed, in the dreaded “2-vs.-3” game that pulls the curtain on a talented team hoping to be playing on Memorial Day weekend.

That would be South Warren, which was a KHSAA state quarterfinalist last year.

Greenwood’s Henrry Justice unloaded a three-run home run in the first inning, and then replaced Gators teammate Whitt Glosick on the mound, in leading his squad to an impressive 7-1 victory before an overflow crowd on Monday night on Nashville Road.

(Plenty of fans at the KHSAA 14th District softball tournament made their way across the street to catch the final few innings of that matchup.)

In the opening game, Bowling Green High School — the Purples are ranked fifth, statewide, by MaxPreps — needed just three innings to cruise past Warren Central High School, 15-0. Senior BGHS third baseman Matt Mosley hit two three-run home runs — one in the second inning, the other in the third — as the Purples won their 11th consecutive game.

Bowling Green improved to 31-4 on the season, heading into Tuesday night’s championship game against Greenwood (24-10 overall). The Gators have won eight of their last nine games.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, on Louisville Road, Allen County-Scottsville needed FIFTEEN INNINGS — that’s right, two normal high school games, and some change — to eliminate No. 1 seed Warren East, 3-2, in the KHSAA 15th District Tournament. Allen County-Scottsville (13-18) will face Barren County, a 9-3 winner over Glasgow High School, in its championship game at Warren East.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Not to be outdone, the No. 1-ranked South Warren fastpitch softball team — led by a sparkling senior class with five players headed to NCAA Division I schools — steamrolled to a 16-0 victory over Warren Central in its semifinal game of the KHSAA 14th District Tournament. South Warren (37-0 overall) will tangle with a top-flight Greenwood squad (23-11) in its district championship game, with both teams having clinched berths in next week’s 4th Region Tournament at the WKU Softball Complex.

The Greenwood girls eliminated Bowling Green High School, 11-0, in semifinal play on Monday night. The Lady Purples close their first season under veteran coach Christopher Riggs with a solid 18-13 record.

Plenty of intrigue awaits.

BOWLING GREEN BASEBALL 15, WARREN CENTRAL 0

The Purples extended their winning streak to 11 games, with sophomore outfielder Ian Wells ending things in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run double to the left-center field fence.

Bowling Green collected 13 hits on the night, led by senior outfielder Hudson Nottmeier’s 3-for-3 performance and Matt Mosley’s impressive home runs that had the Dragons on the run all evening.

Mosley, a former South Warren infielder, certainly seems to like hitting at his old stomping grounds. He’s batting .372 on the season with a team-high eight home runs, and Warren Central had no answer for his quick swing from the right-handed side of the batter’s box.

“The wind here tends to blow out to left-center field,” Mosley said with a smile. “I was sitting on the fastball, both times. I just try to hit it hard, and see where it goes …”

BGHS junior right-hander Grayson Rodgers allowed just one hit over his three innings of work, earning his fourth victory of the season in as many decisions.

“Throwing strikes, that’s what it’s all about,” Rodgers said.

Bowling Green teammates Landon Gilbert and Logan Johnson had RBI triples in the first inning, as the Purples built a 4-0 lead against WCHS starting pitcher KeMichael Cofer. First-year Dragons coach Trace Woodworth also used right-handers Justin Alvarez-Bell and Dyvante McAfee against the Purples, but nothing could stop the onslaught until Ian Wells’ second-extra base hit of the evening brought the game to a conclusion.

Wells crushed a McAfee pitch for a two-run double to left-center field to end it. The slender sophomore went 2-for-2 with three RBIs as the Purples’ designated hitter.

“I really just try to hit gap to gap,” Wells said. “It was a good night for our team.”

That’s all veteran BGHS coach Nathan Isenberg had in mind, as the Purples earned their first KHSAA 4th Region Tournament berth since the 2023 season.

“We took care of business tonight,” Isenberg said. “It’s a tough district, as everyone knows … We know (the championship game) will be a tough task. Our guys have been answering the bell; they’ve been doing it all year long.

“We have six seniors that lead us, on the field. They’ve done a phenomenal job. Matt Mosley’s one of the best third basemen I’ve ever seen, at the high school level, and he’s given us a lot of big at bats, too.”

Isenberg said either senior right-hander Logan Johnson (6-1, 0.98 ERA) or senior left-hander Jack Cowan (6-1, 2.77 ERA) will be his starting pitcher for Tuesday’s championship game against Greenwood.

Warren Central finishes its season at 2-24 overall.

GREENWOOD BASEBALL 7, SOUTH WARREN 1

Greenwood was the home team for the second semifinal of the night, based on the Gators’ runner-up finish to Bowling Green in the 14th District’s six-game regular season.

Greenwood’s Henry Justice set the tone for the game, with a three-run home run to left-center field in the first inning, and he replaced starting pitcher Whitt Glosick for the final three innings on the mound, shutting down the Spartans’ offense to send the Gators to the championship game on Tuesday.

“Whitt threw about 50, 60 pitches and went through the lineup twice,” Greenwood coach Jason Jaggers said when it was over. “Henry Justice was able to close the door … Whitt does a fantastic job. He can throw three pitches for strikes.

“Our guys executed, the entire game. When we got in jams, we were able to execute, defensively. Turned double plays to end a couple innings. I’m super proud of our guys, for their defensive performance tonight.”

Greenwood improved to 24-10 on the season while South Warren, last year’s KHSAA 4th Region champion, finishes its farewell season under veteran coach Chris Gage with a 20-14-1 record.

“We were happy with the way we swung the bat,” Gage said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning. “But we just hit a lot of line drives, that they ran down, and the Glosick kid pitched really well.

“This was my last year. They had a retirement party for me the other day.”

Greenwood rolled with its first-inning momentum, as Glosick scattered five hits over four innings pitched before yielding to Justice. South Warren senior outfielder Jax Decker accounted for the Spartans’ lone run, belting Glosick’s 3-2 pitch over the left-center field fence for the second home run of his injury-riddled final season with the Spartans.

South Warren’s Cole Kuzma and Crider Yarbrough followed Decker’s blast with back-to-back singles, but Glosick retired sophomore catcher Cooper Thomason on a ground ball to end the threat.

Glosick earned his team-high seventh win of the season, against three defeats, while South Warren’s starting pitcher, left-hander Tanner King, finished his sophomore campaign with a 4-4 record. Gage went to his bullpen twice over the course of the game, but the Gatahs rolled with the momentum to reach the championship game.

Henry Justice’s three-run home run got it all started, of course, and Glosick was singing the praises of his fellow GHS senior as the Gators celebrated the victory in shallow right field of the South Warren Ballpark.

“If Henry gets a good swing on the ball, it’s gonna go FAR. He’s a dawg,” Glosick said.

Justice is batting .354 with 25 RBI, and on the mound, he’s recorded 35 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.

Greenwood coach Jason Jaggers was thrilled with the play of his infield, including his double-play duo of junior shortstop Kioshi Une and senior second baseman Jackson Lee.

In the fifth, Greenwood third baseman Boston Howard fielded Justin Capps’ high hopper with runners on first and second base, tagging the bag before throwing across the infield to complete the double play.

Jaggers hasn’t made a decision on his starting pitcher for Tuesday’s championship game, but indicated he’s looking at three possibilities — Lee, a senior right-hander with 30 innings pitched this season, along with sophomore left-hander Ethan York (6-1, 1.04 ERA) and junior right-hander Mason Cosby (7-1, 1.83 ERA).

Greenwood senior Chaze Huff, who has signed with Roane State Community College in Tennessee, was one of three Gators seniors who didn’t dress for Monday night’s game. After the game, Huff said he had taken part in a “Senior Prank” and that he’d been suspended for the entire postseason.

SOUTH WARREN, GREENWOOD REACH SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

No. 1-ranked South Warren remained unbeaten in 37 games, defeating Warren Central, 16-0, via the KHSAA-mandated run rule in three innings.

Senior right-hander Layla Ogden, a WKU signee, recorded six strikeouts without allowing a hit in the first two innings for the Spartans. Emme Goss, a sophomore, followed suit, striking out the side in the top of the third inning.

McLaine Hudson, the Spartans’ senior all-state shortstop, went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double. The Florida State signee is batting an amazing .757 on the season, with FIFTY EXTRA-BASE HITS — including a team-high 24 home runs — and 73 RBI.

Hudson, a starting middle infielder since her seventh grade season, broke the KHSAA career hits record last year as a junior.

Ogden and senior third baseman Parker Willoughby also hit home runs for the Spartans, who have an off-the-charts .491 team batting average. Ogden, the winning pitcher, remained unbeaten in 17 decisions.

Greenwood improved to 23-11 overall with its 11-0 victory over Bowling Green High School.