The pattern was different but the finished product was the same.
Instead of scoring all their runs in one inning as they had in their four previous postseason games, the Logan County Cougars scored one run in three different innings Wednesday. Those three runs were enough, however, as Logan beat Russell County 3-2.
It was the Cougars’ most meaningful win in at least 13 years and arguably 24 years. After Logan reliever Ryan Basham induced a ground ball to first base for the final out of the game, the dugout emptied as the Cougars jumped into a pile of proud players on Nick Denes Field at Western Kentucky University. They were celebrating the team’s first regional baseball championship since 1989.
Sophomore Matt Harper had singled in Gage Hales with what proved to be the winning run in the fifth inning. Hales had started the rally with a single before a sacrifice bunt by Caleb Bruner and a walk worked by Dustin Cartas moved him up.
Hales, who stroked six hits in the tournament, had also singled and scored in the first inning. Cartas, whose 21 walks this season are often semi-intentional, walked in this frame, too. Harper singled for the first of his three hits, and Ian Woodall put a ball in play that was booted, allowing Hales to score on the error.
In hindsight, Lakers coach David Rexroach should have ordered Cartas walked again in the third. He tripled and scored on the second of Harper’s three hits, also the second of his RBIs.
Russell County scored early. Tyler Robertson, who was the Fourth Region’s Player of the Year in boys basketball, started the game with a single. He moved up on Jalen Bennett’s hit and scored on Brennan Coffey’s sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the fourth inning, the Lakers scored again. Grant Best reached on a two-base error. Ben Bertram singled him in to advance the 16th District champions into a 2-2 tie.
The Lakers, who finished 27-11, threatened to tie it again or take the lead in the final inning. Bennett singled as the leadoff batter. Basham, who picked up the win in relief, induced Coffey to hit into a fielder’s choice. The situation became more tenuous when Lucas Whittle reached on an error to join Coffey on base. But Basham got another fielder’s choice from Wyatt Slone and then ended the game when Skyler Stapleton hit a comebacker to him on the mound.
Sophomore Hunter Britt, who had pitched a shutout against Franklin-Simpson in the district finals, was the starter on the mound for the Cougars in this championship game, too. He gave up two runs on eight hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings. In the fifth inning after Slone and Alex Turner had singled, Coach Ethan Meguiar then called on Basham, who induced a flyout from Stapleton to end the threat and the game.
Basham gave up two hits and no runs in two and a third innings. Basham’s key statistic was no walks. The four pitchers (including Blake Gettings and Bruner) who worked for the Cougars in the region issued only four walks in 21 innings.
In this game, Russell County, which came into the finals with a 12-0 regional record and was also regional finalist in basketball, got 10 hits, four more than the Cougars.
Third baseman Joe Holliday and second baseman Cody Hunt helped with the defense that played a key role in this regional championship.
Coach Meguiar was the young starting second baseman on Logan’s last regional championship team in 1989, coached by David Billingsley and led by future major league pitcher Mark Thompson.
Meguiar was coaching the 2000 Cougars when they broke through the wall of district dominance Franklin-Simpson had established since joining the 13th District. That team, led by pitchers Zak Danks and Aaron Johnson, got their first district win ever over the Wildcats at home during the regular season, beat F-S at Franklin for the district championship, and then reached the regional finals before losing to that same Franklin team on that same Greg Shelton Field.
Beginning with that team, Meguiar’s Cougars have won 7 of the 14 district championships in this century. This, however, was the program’s first appearance in the regional finals in 13 years and their first regional title in 24 seasons.
The Cougars will play their first game at state Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. against Louisville St. Xavier at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, the home of the professional Lexington Legends. St. X is the state’s second-ranked team.
The team will leave for Lexington from LCHS at 10:30 Monday morning, and Principal Casey Jaynes said the public is invited to wish them well in a sendoff.
Chris McGinnis of WRUS is working toward the station broadcasting the game live on 610 AM.