ASHLAND Ashland used a strong pitching performance from ace Ryan Atkins and timely hits from Sawyer Alley and NeShawn Peppers to pick up a big home win over Russell on Monday night, 5-1.

CANNONSBURG Kirsten Vice faced down a Red Sea.

FLEMINGSBURG Brock Kitchen was 3 for 3 and Carson Wireman drove in two runs as visiting Greenup County took down Fleming County, 4-0, on Monday night.

DANVILLE Ashland took home two wins from the Tylar Missbach Memorial Showcase at Centre College on Saturday, beating Franklin County, 12-3, before knocking off No. 22 Pendleton County, 6-1.

LOUISA Lawrence County coach Travis Feltner is a firm believer that playing small ball can help produce big results for his club.

I’ve always loved horses, but I’ve never owned one. And the few times I’ve had the opportunity to straddle one for a ride turned out to be not very enjoyable at all.

WESTWOOD Annabelle Menshouse threw a perfect game to lead Fairview to a 15-0 victory in four innings over Augusta on Friday night.

GRAYSON East Carter only needed two hits for its 1,000th victory.

ASHLAND When Asher Stevens stepped to the plate in the eighth inning at Alumni Field on Wednesday night, he wasn’t only trying to beat the defending 16th Region Tournament champion.

RACELAND Raceland was down to its last out and needed to get the Ram on third base home to tie Russell on Tuesday night.

This statement from Tomcat legend Herb Conley should tell you enough about Don Clere’s impact on Ashland Tomcat football: “Don was my hero.”

RUSSELL A double rainbow that appeared midway through the game Monday night when Raceland and Russell met in a key 63rd District matchup represented the number of golden opportunities the Red Devils had.

RACELAND Chloe Collins hit her 11th home run of the season -- tied for second in the state -- and Raegan West spun a complete-game four-hitter as host Raceland knocked off No. 17 Johnson Central, 4-2, on Monday night.

LLOYD Greenup County tallied three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday night to top Wheelersburg, 4-2, and earn a split of its two games in the Peoples Bank Classic it was hosting.

The Great Outdoors always played a role in my growing up in that little Ohio River village on the Kentucky shore, across from the western end of Portsmouth.

CARTER CAVES STATE RESORT PARK Basketball teams were happy to be back on the court this season, but for the Eastern Kentucky Conference and commissioner Gary Kidwell, now in his 25th year, Tuesday’s return to Lewis Caveland Lodge for the annual postseason banquet was its equivalent.

ASHLAND Ashland’s pitcher allowed just one hit to Fairview for the second straight day on Tuesday.

RACELAND Raegan West has logged plenty of innings inside the circle this season.

WESTWOOD It looked like one run might win Monday's baseball game in Mossy Bottom, and Fairview had Jaxon Manning 90 feet away from scoring it with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.

LLOYD Jake Heighton drove in three runs and Chase Thornsberry knocked in two, and Kirk Pence and Andrew Floyd combined on a solid pitching performance as visiting Raceland topped Greenup County, 8-1, on Monday in the first of a two-day 63rd District seeding series.

OWENSBORO Raceland’s Chloe Collins raked all weekend in the state All “A” Classic.

OWENSBORO It was a rainy day at Jack Fisher Park but the teams in Pool D couldn’t weather Raceland’s offensive attack at the state All “A” Classic.

WHEELERSBURG Greenup County scored five runs in the seventh inning on Thursday for a 10-8 win at Wheelersburg.

I worked 30 years as a full-time reporter for The Daily Independent and The Daily Times, twenty-five of them with The Daily Independent. During those years, I have freelanced the weekly outdoors column — for 50 years now — drawing a separate paycheck for the columns apart from my salary as a…