\u201cI felt confident he (Parker) was going to make the play,\u201d Shope said. \u201cHe is just a freshman, and I have seen his arm get stronger all year long, and hat\u2019s off to Hunter Wilson for staying in there.
\u201cWhen your backs are against the wall everyone is going to come out swinging,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of our guys continuing to fight. We did some things that we don\u2019t normally do. But we maintained our focus, and got the win.\u201d
Grant Zehr came in relief in the sixth inning, and got out of two jams while helping the Colonels secured the one-run win.
The good news for Zehr is the fact that he will be available to pitch in Saturday\u2019s quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. against the winner of South Warren, and Breathitt County.
Zehr, who recorded his first save of the season, only threw 17 pitches while tossing 1 2\/3 of an inning. He allowed two hits and no runs while striking out two batters.
\u201cWe are able to pitch Grant tomorrow which is good for us,\u201d Shope said. \u201cI\u2019m really proud of our guys today. When you can win and advance, that\u2019s always a good thing.\u201d
Croley got the win, improving to 13-1, while pitching 5 1\/3 of an inning. He allowed three hits, and two earned runs while striking out seven batters.
Hunter Wilson came up big at the plate with a home run, RBI, and run scored while RJ Osborne had a hit, and an RBI. Zehr, and Bryce Anderson each finished with a hit apiece.
Shope\u2019s squad got on the scoreboard first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Osborne connected with a run-scoring single to right field, scoring Tyler Rose to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead.\u00a0
Whitley County (36-4) added another run after a groundout by Andrew Stack scored Wright, pushing the Colonels\u2019 advantage to 2-0.
Croley got into some trouble in the third inning with the Hawks loading the bases with two outs, but managed to get out of the jam after recording his sixth strikeout of the game.\u00a0
Whitley County added two more runs in the bottom of the third.
Anderson reached base with a single, and eventually scored on a wild pitch to give his team a 3-0 advantage. Wilson followed with a solo home run over the left field fence, increasing the Colonels\u2019 advantage to 4-0.
Shope\u2019s squad ran into trouble in the sixth inning.\u00a0
Croley ran out of gas, and was replaced by Braydn Bargo, who faced only two batters while giving up two hits, as the Hawks cut their deficit to 4-3.
LaRue County had the tying run in scoring position, but Zehr replaced Bargo and recorded the final two outs to end the Hawks\u2019 rally.
Zehr got out of another jam in the seventh inning after recording two outs, thanks to Parker\u2019s put out at home plate to wrapup the Colonels\u2019 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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