By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON — Highlands got off to a bad start and wasn’t able to recover in the championship game of the Rawlings/KHSAA State Baseball Tournament on Saturday. West Jessamine scored six runs in the first inning and went on to defeat the Bluebirds, 10-3, before a crowd of more than 3,000 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.
Both teams were making their first appearance in the state title game. West Jessamine took home the championship trophy after totaling 48 runs and 46 hits in its four state tournament wins.
“You just tip your cap to West Jessamine,” said Highlands coach Jeremy Baioni. “They played very well (against us) and played great the whole tournament. They deserved it.”
Highlands starting pitcher Mitchell Jones didn’t make it through the first inning in the championship game. After giving up six runs on five hits, he was replaced by sophomore Ethan Doty, who got the last out by knocking down a sharp line drive back to the mound.
Doty didn’t allow a run over the next four innings and Highlands was able to pull within 6-3. But the Colts scored four times in the last two innings to finish with a double-digit run total in all four of its state tournament games.
“It was just great focus,” West Jessamine coach Jody Hamilton said of his team’s impressive offensive performance. “The kids went to the plate and tried to do the things we tell them as coaches to do. I can’t say enough about these guys and how they peaked at the end of the year.”
It looked like Highlands might make a comeback after scoring two runs in the second inning and one in the fourth. But West Jessamine pitcher Joe Ivey allowed only two hits in the final two innings.
“Offensively, I thought we were good enough that we could come back,” coach Baioni said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to.”
Senior shortstop Jake Whitford and senior second baseman Grayson Heck each had two hits for the Bluebirds. The team’s other three hits were run-scoring singles by seniors DJ Mills and Joseph Martin and junior Conner Kreeger.
Heck was the Bluebirds’ leading hitter in the state tournament with a .556 batting average (5-for-9) in four games. He was named to the all-tournament team along with Martin and Mills. Scott players Andrew Trame and Jake Ohmer were also all-tournament selections.
Baioni couldn’t close the book on his team’s 35-7 season without praising the seniors on the roster. When they were freshmen, Highlands was coming off back-to-back losing seasons. They ended their careers playing in the state championship game.
“These seniors have seen a lot and been through a lot,” Baioni said. “They deserve a lot of credit for the strides we’ve made the last few years with this baseball program.”
WEST JESSAMINE 600 001 3 — 10 12 1
HIGHLANDS 020 100 0 — 3 7 0
WP — Ivey (7 Ks). LP — Jones. HITTING LEADERS: WJ — Greer 2-3; Peters 2-5, 3 RBI; Trey Merida 3B, 3 RBI; Layne 3-3; James 2B, 2 RBI. H — Whitford 2-3, 3B; Heck 2-3. RECORDS: Highlands 35-7, West Jessamine 36-7.