Fans of the Logan County Cougars have become accustomed over the past couple of years to eye-popping pitching performances, Most times that pitcher has been Caleb Bruner, but last year Hunter Britt and Blake Gettings had memorable outings. Those jewels usually come from one pitcher, not a mound committee.
That changed dramatically Thursday when three Cougars combined to shut out one of the other top teams in the region, South Warren.
Not only did Joe Holliday, Jordan Hendrix and Matt Harper combined on a two-hit shutout to beat the Spartans 1-0, but they did it on one of the area’s biggest stages. This diamond jewel came at Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Coach Chris Gage’s Spartans went into the game with a 21-8 record, including 15-6 in the Fourth Region. But the trio of Cougar pitchers allowed only two Spartans—Kieffer Baxter and Dylan Taylor—a hit each.
Meanwhile South hurlers Cameron Shyrock and Wes King were also tough. Shyrock worked the first three innings and didn’t allow the Cougars a hit, a walk or—most importantly—a run. King worked the last three innings and gave up the game’s only run on two hits and no walks. He struck out two.
The lone run scored in the sixth inning. Tucker Baldwin singled, Holliday moved him to third on a ground ball, and Harper singled him in. Except for Jacob Wood’s being hit by a pitch, that was the entirety of the offense for Coach Ethan Meguiar’s team, but it was enough for the win.
Holliday was the starting pitcher and was excellent. He didn’t give up a hit or a walk, struck out three and threw strikes on 23 of his 34 pitches. Hendrix, a sophomore southpaw, also worked three innings. He gave up two hits but no runs, struck out two and was the winning pitcher, since he was still in the game when the run scored. Twenty-five of his 37 pitches were strikes.
Harper worked the final inning and didn’t allow a hit or walk to pick up the save. He struck out one of the four Spartans he faced.
When the Cougars beat Greenwood 6-5 the next day, also in Bowling Green, they won their 24th game in 33 starts for the region’s most wins going into next week’s district tournaments.