Redhounds fall in extra-inning classic at KHSAA state tournament

It took two extra innings for them to get the job done, but the Owensboro Catholic Aces were able to pull off a 5-4 victory over the 13th Region champion Corbin Redhounds Friday in round one of this year’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament, played at Legends Stadium in Lexington. With the loss, Corbin wraps up their 2024 campaign with an overall record of 30 wins and 11 losses.

The Hounds got on the board first Friday thanks to an inside-the-park home run from Noah Cima. The Aces would score a run in the bottom of the inning, though, tying the game up at 1-1.

The score remained 1-1 until the third inning, when a Kade Elam RBI scored Cima. Good defense in the bottom of the inning, particularly from senior outfielder Bradric Helton, kept the score at 2-1 heading into the fourth.

Catholic managed one run in the fourth inning to once again tie the score up, 2-2, but Corbin responded in the top of the fifth when senior Walker Landrum brought in Lucas Tarvin with an RBI triple. Fellow senior Mikey Neal then brought Landrum home with an RBI single, and the Aces opted to make a pitching change, replacing starter Luke Quinn with Ben Hyland.

A two-run homer by Owensboro Catholic’s Barrett Evans in the bottom of the fifth quickly erased the Hounds’ two-run advantage, once again tying the game, this time at 4-4. The score would remain unchanged through the sixth and seventh innings. It was in the seventh that Corbin Head Coach Cody Philpot brought starting pitcher, senior Jeremiah Gilbert, off of the mound, replacing him with junior Will Freeman.

After one extra inning the game remained tied at 4-4. In the ninth inning, the Redhounds threatened to bring in the go-ahead run when sophomore Clay Botner made it to third base. He was unable to make it home, however, and after the Aces put a runner on base in the bottom of the inning, Philpot replaced Freeman with Helton on the mound.

Catholic loaded the bases with one out, and catcher Brady Atwell was thrown out going home. With two outs on the board, the Aces finally managed to push another run across, giving them the win in an instant classic at this year’s state tournament.

Corbin will lose four key players to graduation this year in Helton, Gilbert, Neal and Landrum, but they have many key players set to return to the lineup in 2025, including Cima, Botner, Elam, Tarvin, Cam Estep, Cooper McCauley and more.