Bulldogs fall in 10

By RAY SCHAEFER / For The Independent

LEXINGTON June 12, 2009 12:39 am

— It’s a good guess that no Kentucky high school baseball team has ever won a state title with a .500 record.
Owensboro earned a chance Thursday to make history at Lawrence County’s expense. The 13-15 Red Devils — who won just six games in the regular season — eliminated the Bulldogs in a 3-2, 10-inning first-round squeaker at Applebee’s Park.
“The past three weeks have been like a dream,” Owensboro coach Kip Walters said.
Lawrence County, last season’s state runner-up, finished at 23-16. First-year head coach Travis Feltner offered only praise.
“Two hundred and 67 teams in the state play baseball, and we were one of the last eight standing,” Feltner said.
Owensboro senior shortstop Yantae Williams’ single to center field scored Jacob Nalley with the winning run.
“He’s a gamer, he’s a senior,” Walters said of Williams. “He’s our leadoff hitter for a reason. I felt like if we could get back to the top of the lineup, we’d have a chance.”
Williams’ hit also erased an egregious error in the bottom of the seventh. After Owensboro senior pitcher Nick Busch hit right fielder Ramsey Compton, the sophomore scored from first when Busch’s errant pickoff throw rolled to the right field tarp.
“I don’t believe in divine intervention for baseball,” Feltner said. “It was just one of those things.”
Lawrence County sophomore Chandler Shepherd had not allowed a run in 19 and two-thirds innings in the Sub-State and against Owensboro. That streak ended when senior third baseman Davey Murphy’s two-run home run over the left-field bleachers in the sixth inning gave the Red Devils a 2-1 lead.
“He just left the changeup up, sure did,” Feltner said. “He’s pitched great for four years for us’ he’s still just a 16-year-old kid.
“I’m not saying he made a mistake. He just left it up a little bit; (Murphy) just set on it and hit it out.”
Shepherd received the statewide notice (he struck out 10 Thursday), but Busch deserved at least a little praise Thursday. He fanned 11, including five on called third strikes.
“(Busch) worked both sides of the plate effectively,” Feltner said. “He kept our guys off balance the entire game.”
Murphy also pitched the 10th inning for the win.
“It just feels good to get out there and finish it off,” Murphy said. “That’s big.”
After walking to open the bottom of the first, Lawrence County first baseman Shane Pack moved to third on an error. Pack scored three batters later on sophomore left fielder Sam Burton’s sacrifice fly to right field.
A Lawrence County blunder in the fourth ended another scoring threat. Shortstop Josh Mills singled to left and stole second, but Busch picked him off second.
Feltner left Lawrence County’s postgame huddle with a promise.
“We’ll get to work, try to get down here next year and do better,” he said.

OWENSBORO 000 002 000 1 — 3 5 4
LAWRENCE CO. 100 000 100 0 — 2 3 3
Busch, Murphy (10) and Hardesty; Shepherd, Moore (10) and Miller. W-Murphy. L-Moore. 2B-Hackney (LC). HR-Murphy (O).