ONE DOWN! ONE TO GO

Just before the top of the fifth inning began at Corbin’s House Field, someone in the Pikeville dugout yelled “the clock’s got to run out sometime.” For the Pikeville Panthers (33-7) it ran out in the bottom of the seventh when Corbin junior pitcher Lucas Henson struck out three Panthers in a roll to get out of a jam.
Senior Wade McCowan led off with a single up the middle and Justin Anderson followed with a base hit up the middle that was bobbled. McCowan ended at third on the play while Anderson remained at first. Three batters later, the two had not moved as time ran out on the Panthers.
Henson found himself down 3-1 to Jess Parrish, Chad Walls and Cory Miller only to come back and strike out the trio. “I was just trying to keep them off them off the base or let the defense do the work,”” said Henson, who allowed just three hits to the powerful Pikeville attack.
Henson said early in the game, “I knew they were going to hit the ball, so I let my defense get the job done. And in the top of the first it was the defense that bailed Henson out. After walking Brandt Spears, McCowan hit a hard grounder to Jake Mahan that turned double play ball.
Justin Anderson then blew a long ball past Josh Ware in right field. “I got a glove on it, but just couldn’t haul it in,” said Ware.
Henson helped his own cause when Parrish lined a hot shot back to the mound for the third out.
Corbin (28-9) did its damage in the bottom of the first when Mahan drew a walk. Travis Prewitt moved Mahan to third on a sacrifice bunt when McCowan had a pitching error on the throw.
Senior Kenny Kysar then drove in the first run of the inning with a hit to left field. Kysar stole second then went to third on a Hobe Watkins sacrifice back to the mound. A perfect bunt by Hamlin allowed Kysar to get the second run across the plate. Ware followed with a double to right centerfield and the Redhounds led 3-0.
It was a pitching duel from that point on as McCowan and Henson got the best of the situation. McCowan allowed three runners while Henson got in trouble in the seventh but whiffed the final three batters.
“I fell like I located the ball well today,” said Henson, who was chosen to play in the Kentucky East/West All-Star Game later this month.
“We knew we had to throw strikes and play good defense,” said Corbin coach Jeff Garmon. “Getting off to a good start was important to us.”
“I don’t think it was any accident that we played good defense,” said Garmon. “We have worked on that since back in the winter.”
It was the third shutout in the post-season for the Redhounds.
The two teams will lock horns once again today at 6 p.m.

Pikeville 000 000 0- 0 3 2
Corbin 300 000 x- 3 5 2
McCowan and Adams. Henson and Prewitt. WP-Henson, LP-McCowan. 2B-Anderson (P), Ware (C), Mahan (C).