High school spring sports round-up; Tigers, Lakers both win baseball nailbiters at home

MURRAY — Murray High’s baseball team is making a habit, so far in this young season, of finding itself in some contests that have a way of taking a while to decide.

Thursday night was no different as the Tigers went to extra innings for the second time this season. Like that first occasion, this one also ended victorious as the Tigers took a 2-1 win in 10 innings over a previously undefeated University Heights Academy team (4-1) at Alumni Field/Cary Miller Park.

Jack Elmore (who had two hits Thursday) scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th after teammate Carson Tucker hit a smash to third base that resulted in an errant throw to first base. This followed a ninth-inning threat in which the Tigers (2-3) had the winning run in scoring position, only for that threat to be eliminated by a double play.

Before that, pitcher Carson Garner was the story for Murray High as he went the first eight innings and was outstanding. Garner only allowed three hits against a Blazer lineup that already has a win this season against state superpower Henderson County. Two of those hits were bunts.

Lakers edge Carlisle

with late outburst

MURRAY — One team that had terrorized Calloway County last season was the small-school steamroller known as Carlisle County.

In two games in 2022, the Comets had beaten the Lakers with big offensive displays, including a 14-1 win in five innings on the Comets’ home field. Calloway got one back on Thursday with a hard-earned 2-0 win at Laker Field.

The Lakers (3-1), who were coming off a very solid win in a defensive battle Saturday at Henry County (Tenn.) in Paris, limited the dangerous Comets (3-2) to only a few scoring chances through the first six innings. Then, in the Calloway half of the sixth, the Lakers pushed through, breaking a scoreless tie.

Cadwell Turner’s single to left was followed by Cole Lockhart’s double to about the same spot. Then, Braden Pingel supplied the winning run by hitting a ball on the infield that was mishandled, scoring Turner and putting Calloway up 1-0.

That was followed by another infield ball that Cuyler McDaniel, who caught two Comet runners stealing to douse earlier opportunities, legged out for a single, scoring Lockhart with the game’s only other run.

However, there were still scary moments for the Lakers in the seventh inning as the Comets did put two men on base after Turner, who had relieved starter Conner Lockhart in the fourth inning, had to depart himself with one out in the seventh.

However, as he had done in Paris on Saturday, it was right-hander Zach Akin, a freshman no less, shaking off two soft hits, to finish the job, the last out coming on a strikeout. Akin had gone three innings Saturday and only surrendered one hit to a traditionally very powerful Patriots lineup.

Laker boys tennis stays

undefeated at home

MURRAY — Calloway County’s boys tennis team moved to 4-0 on the season Thursday with a 5-2 (matches win over Mayfield at the Calloway County Tennis Courts.

Calloway got singles wins from Isaac Martin, Conner Pile and Jude and Kolt Bazzell. Doubles wins were produced from the team of Bazzell/Bazzell as the Lakers seem to be on the same kind of course they blazed last year when they started the season 13-0.