By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Beechwood won 9th Region All “A” Classic championship games in baseball and softball last week to earn state tournament berths in both small school playoffs.
On Thursday, the Beechwood softball team defeated St. Henry, 17-0, in the region final to take the title for the second time in four years. Senior pitcher Annette Cento was named most valuable player with senior teammates Claire Gigliotti and Taryn Frazier joining her on the all-tournament team.
The Tigers will play in the All “A” Classic state softball tournament that begins with pool play on Saturday, April 25 at Jack Fisher Park in Owensboro.
The two teams with the best records in each of the four pools will compete in a single elimination bracket on Sunday, April 26 to determine the state champion.
The Beechwood baseball team defeated Newport Central Catholic, 8-1, in the 9th Region All “A” Classic championship game on Friday.
This is the fifth consecutive year that the Tigers have taken the title. They will play the 10th Region champion in a sectional game with the winner moving on the eight-team state tournament April 25-26 at Daviess County High School in Owensboro.
In the region final, Beechwood junior outfielder Tyler Fryman went 2-for-3 with two triples and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. The other Beechwood players on the all-tournament team were senior Brooks Becker and junior Caleb Arrasmith, the winning pitcher in the championship game. He gave up one run on two hits and had 11 strikeouts in five innings.
Beechwood is off to a 6-0 start and coach Kevin Gray picked up his 200th career victory on Friday.
Brossart softball team has perfect record on new field
The Brossart softball team remained undefeated with a 17-2 win over Grant County on their new home field Saturday at the Mustang Athletic Complex.
The Mustangs (7-0) have played six games on their synthetic turf field. In the third game, senior Rachel Shewmaker hit a ball over the outfield fence to record the first home run there during a 7-3 win over Dixie Heights.
Four of the other five wins on Brossart’s home field ended early because the Mustangs were ahead by 10 runs or more.
In Saturday’s game, Brossart had 14 hits, including a home run by junior Sophie Schultz. The Mustangs have a .436 team batting average with an 85-13 advantage in runs scored against their seven opponents.
The Brossart baseball team also opened the season on a new synthetic turf field. The Mustangs are off to a 5-2 start with both loses coming at home against Harrison County and Campbell County.
On Saturday, Brossart won a home game against Bracken County, 10-7, in the first round of the 10th Region All “A” Classic. Senior shortstop Isaac Amin had two doubles and three RBI for the Mustangs in that victory.
Trame steps down as St. Henry girls basketball coach
Dan Trame’s decision to step down as head coach of the St. Henry girls basketball team ended the latest chapter in his career that has spanned four decades.
Trame began his head coaching career with the St. Henry boys team in 1990. He was also the boys head coach at Simon Kenton, Holy Cross and Walton-Verona before taking charge of the St. Henry girls program two years ago. He has compiled a 339-234 record in 20 years as a head coach.
The St. Henry girls posted a 14-13 record in their first season under Trame and finished 17-13 this past season. Both teams reached the 34th District finals and earned berths in the 9th Region tournament. The team’s top three scorers this season were were junior Joey Powers (11.4) and sophomores Audrey Pieczonka (10.8), Anna Bain (9.1) and Gia Jones (8.4).
As a boys head coach, Trame has compiled a 308-204 record. He won a 9th Region championship in 1995 at Simon Kenton and an 8th Region All “A” Classic title in 2010 at Walton-Verona.