STATE CHAMPIONS

A Corbin softball team has brought home a state championship after Marx HVAC won the Class E Slow Pitch championship in Lexington Sunday.

Jason “Red” Mills was named the tournament MVP and teammate, Scottie Lanham the defensive MVP. Bobby Hendrickson, Jimmy Hendrickson, Chance Hendrickson and Mark Lanham were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Thirty-three teams throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky started play Saturday morning at three locations. Marx HVAC opened play with a close win over Fury Reloaded, 8-6. The Corbin team followed with a 29-16 win over Balls Deep and a 22-16 win over the D.G. Flat Liners.

HVAC moved into Sunday’s semifinals with a 14-4  win over T-Bone Softball from Jackson County. The Jackson County team took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but HVAC came back with six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-2 lead. They never trailed after the first inning.

The first five batters all scored as Bobby Hendrickson and Scottie Lanham drew walks. Singles by Tyler Hendrickson, Jimmy Hendrickson and Chance Hendrickson allowed HVAC to take a 3-2 lead. Mills, Mark Lanham and Trent Hensley all had singles in the inning to push the eventual champions ahead for good.

Chance Hendrickson led the way offensively, going three-for-four in the win.

In the winners’ bracket finals, the HVAC Rebels had to come from behind in the bottom of the sixth before they could claim victory. They beat the Magic Men, 5-3.

HVAC trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth when Mills led the inning off with a single. He was still at first with two outs, but Jarrett Deaton drew a walk and Bobby Hendrickson roped a run-scoring single to get the local team on the scoreboard.

Trailing 3-1 with one-out in the bottom of the sixth Jimmy Hendrickson started a rally that would put HVAC ahead. Brother Chance followed with a single and Josh Coppock hit a run-scoring single to pull HVAC within 3-2. Mills tied the game with a base hit and RBI’s by Hensley and Deaton gave the Rebels the 5-3 lead. Hensley was thrown out on a hit by Bobby Hendrickson to end the inning.

The defense held the Magic Men to one runner in the top of the seventh then advance to the championship game. They took on T-Bone in the final game.

HVAC edged T-Bone for the Class E title in a high scoring game that saw 34 runs cross the plate. The Rebels took a 5-3 at the end of one inning, but the Jackson County boys scored seven runs in the top of the second for a 10-5 lead.

Scottie Lanham scored a run in the bottom of the second and Chance Hendrickson added a run in the third to pull within 10-7.

T-Bone made it 11-7 going into the bottom of the fourth, but HVAC evened the game with four runs. HVAC took a three-run lead in the bottom of the fifth when Bobby Hendrickson, Scottie Lanham and Tyler Hendrickson all crossed the plate for a 14-11 lead.

T-Bone retook the lead in the top of the sixth with four runs of their own, but the Rebels added five runs in the bottom half of the inning for a 19-15 lead. HVAC shut down T-Bone one-two-three in the top of the seventh and celebrated the state title.

Scottie Lanham was on fire at the plate, going five-for-five with five runs scored. Bobby Hendrickson and Tyler Hendrickson scored three runs each.