By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
It’s not the easiest deal in postseason baseball to open a regional against a team that you’ve beaten twice in the regular season. Especially one that’s been something of a nemesis as it was a year ago in sending the Highlands’ Bluebirds home to Ft. Thomas.
But no worry. Even after the top player in the region – Jackson Reardon – back from a stress fracture in his back, gave Covington Catholic a 1-0 lead before Highlands had come to the plate, there were no worries for the region’s top team, the now 25-7-1 Bluebirds.
Not at all, said game-winning pitcher – and hitter – Adam Forton (7-1). “I trust our guys,” said the senior who will graduate Tuesday before Wednesday’s semifinal game against the winner of the Dixie Heights-Ryle game. In every way.
While Forton is the Birds’ ace, there was no thought of yanking him after five innings and 62 pitches with a 7-2 lead to save him for Thursday championship game. “Not at all,” Forton said. “Our top four guys (pitchers) are all under 2.00 ERA.”
“It’s never easy beating CovCath and Coach (Bill) Krumpelbeck,” said Highlands’ coach Brian Benzinger of the Colonels’ long-time mentor, the second-winningest baseball coach in KHSAA history. “But every time we got off to a big lead this year,” he said of Highlands’ 26-7 scoring edge in the three games (11-4, 10-7, 7-2), “that took away their small ball game.”
No small ball for this Highlands team that came into the regional hitting .345 as a team to CovCath’s .281. One of the reasons is another senior, Iain Carner, hitting .372, who finished with three-for-three and three RBI out of the cleanup spot, right behind Forton.
“Throughout the whole year, we believe in each other, we trust each other,” Carner said. The Highlands’ hitters also believe something else, which they echo after the game: “See the ball, hit the ball,” both Forton and Carner said – and did.
“We do have aggressive hitters,” Benzinger said with a smile. And they had something else going for them after seeing Reardon for the first time as the major league prospect heading to the University of Cincinnati went two for four at the plate with a double, hit the ball solid all four times and scored both of CovCath’s runs.
‘Thankfully we never got into a position where he had a chance to win the game,” Benzinger said, praising the heavy-hitting Birds’ defense that gets a bit overlooked. Although it was hard to overlook third baseman Noah Lahner who made a couple of terrific defensive plays – one on a score-saving bunt scoop-up and throw, the other on a ball he backhanded behind third before making the long throw just in time.
“If they put the ball in play, I’ve got a chance,” said Forton. His guys behind him are going to be there.
And now it’s on through the top-heavy upper bracket in this draw that had the region’s top two RPI teams opening play against one another while two of the next three – Ryle and Dixie Heights — faced off in the next game with the winners playing Wednesday at 5 p.m.
“I wasn’t thrilled after the draw,” Benzinger said. But Monday’s win did a bit to bring the thrill back.
SCORING SUMMARY
COVCATH 1 0 0 0 0 1 0–2 5 1
HIGHLANDS 1 4 0 2 0 0 X—7 7 1
WP: Forton (7-1) LP Wermuth (4-3)
Hitters: Reardon, CovCath, 2-4, double, 2 runs; Forton 2-3, 3 RBI; Carner 3-3, 3 RBI; Wiggins, double, 2 runs; Hendrix, triple, 2 runs.