Published: May 06, 2008 11:32 pm            

Greenup evens score

LOUISA — Greenup County evened the score in a rematch of baseball heavyweights from the 15th and 16h Regions.

Eric Craft and Billy Logan hit doubles in a decisive four-run fifth inning as the Musketeers defeated 21st-ranked Lawrence County 9-4 on Tuesday night.

Greenup County, the defending 16th Region champion, hiked its record to 24-6 and avenged a 5-2 loss in the season opener for both teams.

“We didn’t forget Lawrence County and the loss they put on us the first time,” said Musketeers coach Greg Logan. “Anytime you can go on the road and beat a Top 25 team, it’s a big positive.”

Greenup County hitters accounted for six of the game’s 10 extra-base hits on a night when neither side sent out their top pitchers.

“We didn’t use our No. 1 or No. 2, and Lawrence didn’t use their No. 1 or No. 2,” Logan said. “I thought we hit better for seven innings and did a good job overall of executing our offense.”

Sophomore Zach Reed collected three hits, including a double and triple, to lead Greenup County’s attack. He also reached on an error during the Musketeers’ big fifth inning.

“I’ve been in a slump lately,” Reed said. “I told myself coming in that I was going to get three hits. What we want to do is hit line drives in the gap, and it was working tonight.”

Reed gave the Musketeers some insurance in the seventh inning. He followed Juan Staten’s double with a triple to right-center field. Reed scored on James Madden’s squeeze bunt for Greenup County’s final run.

“Every one of those runs is big against a team like Lawrence County,” Greg Logan said. “You don’t know how many you are going to need.”

Greenup County relief pitcher Devin VanBibber shut the door on Lawrence County in the final two innings.

VanBibber, a freshman left-hander, came on in the sixth with one out after the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 7-4. VanBibber retired all five batters he faced, including a strikeout of University of Louisville signee Tim Hayes to end the sixth inning.

“VanBibber needed a boost of confidence, and he got it,” said his head coach. “Striking out Hayes is like striking out Johnny Bench or something.”

Hayes singled in the first inning and his long double in the third drove in Lawrence County’s first run.

The well-matched teams finished with 11 hits and four errors apiece.

“Offensively, I thought Greenup County had a few more clutch hits,” said Randy Keeton, whose Bulldogs entered the night with a 15th Region-best 17 wins. “We weren’t able to get the two-out hits and and our performance was pretty poor defensively.”

Greenup County scored on a passed ball in the first inning and pushed across another run in the second with help of two Lawrence County errors.

Lawrence County took its only lead at 3-2 in the fourth inning. Brad Laney reached on an error with two outs, stole second and scored on Jeff Cyrus’ third consecutive single.

But Greenup County bunched four hits into the fifth and took the lead for good on Billy Logan’s RBI double. Clean-up hitter Tyler Hieneman dropped down a bunt single to help trigger the four-run output.

Musketeers starter Kyle Martin picked up the victory as the team extended its winning streak to 10 games.



GREENUP CO. 110 041 2 — 9 11 4

LAWRENCE CO. 002 101 0 — 4 11 4

Martin, VanBibber (6) and Logan; Moore, Banks (5) and Hayes. W — Martin. L — Moore. 2B — Reed (GC), Craft (GC), Logan (GC), Staten (GC), Hayes (LC),

Michael (LC), Miller (LC), Shepherd (LC). 3B — Scaggs (GC), Reed (GC).

        

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