The Logan County Cougars knocked off two of the region’s best team last week to pick up wins 21 and 22. They begin district play Monday against Russellville at Franklin-Simpson as one of three Fourth Region teams with 22 or 23 wins.

Serving notice that they are a regional baseball championship contender once again Tuesday, the Cougars were clicking on all cylinders while spoiling powerful South Warren’s Senior Night and ending the Spartans’ 11-game win streak.

Senior third baseman Bradley Taylor would have qualified as a one-man wrecking crew in the Cougars’ 9-4 win had not the rest of the team also contributed so much. Taylor went four for five with two homers, a triple and a single. He drove in four runs.

Adding two hits each were Koby Wall (with a triple) and the duo of Austin Rayno and Braxton Meguiar (who each doubled).

Kaleb Justice only had one hit, but it was a homer. Also getting a hit were Third Bell, Nick Wooden and Dylan Penick. Justice, Rayno, Bell and Penick each walked. Eight of the nine starters hit safely.

Taylor scored four runs with Wall and courtesy runner Jacob Smock scoring twice each.

Maybe even more encouraging than the offense or the win was the performance of Penick on the mound. A year ago, Penick was the pitcher Coach Ethan Meguiar sent to the mound to face Franklin-Simpson in the regional championship game, and he dominated the Wildcats the first four innings. Last fall, however, he gave football a try and seriously injured his knee.

Penick was expected to miss the entire baseball season. He made it clear in this game that he is back. In his first start on the mound this season, Penick only allowed the Spartans two runs the first five innings, but struggled in the sixth. Nick Wooden came on to seal the win.

Jacob Lacy homered and doubled for most of the Spartans’ offense. Mason Biggs, Bryson Yates and Cade Vernon each gave up three runs on the mound.

Cougars 9, East 2

Meguiar’s team got another impressive won over a Warren County team Friday, beating Warren East 9-2.  Timely hitting and strong relief pitching contributed to the win.

Smock was the only Cougar with two hits, and one of them was a double. Justice, Taylor and Wall each homered; Justice’s was a three-run shot in the first inning. Singling were Penick, Rayno and Meguiar. Taylor, Wall, Bell and Wooden worked walks.

Wall was the starting pitcher and was credited with the win. He gave up the Raiders’ two runs on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Tommy Krohn pitched three scoreless innings on two hits and a walk. Riley Ferguson pitched a scoreless seventh inning, walking two batters and striking out two.

The Cougars knocked out Raider starter Dakota Basham after only four outs. He gave up five earned runs on two walks and four hits, two of them homers. Caleb Love pitched the last three innings. Ryan Hawks and Andrew McWhorter each doubled as part of East’s five hits.