By Chad Hensley
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON – High school baseball season came to an unfortunate end for Northern Kentucky teams Saturday with Beechwood and Campbell County losing in the sectional round of the state playoffs at Kentucky Proud Park on the University of Kentucky campus.
Danville, one of the most prolific hitting teams in state history, defeated Beechwood, 6-4, and Lexington Lafayette got the best of Campbell County, 10-5.
Danville (39-3) opened the early game with back-to-back doubles, but Beechwood pitcher Mitchell Berger managed to hold the Admirals scoreless.
The Tigers (31-6) then took a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI fielder’s choice from Berger, who then scored on a two-out double by Brett Holladay.
An errant throw by Berger allowed the Admirals to get a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. But a solo home run by sophomore Cameron Boyd put the Tigers back in front, 3-2, in the bottom of the third.
Danville came into the game with 84 home runs, which leads the state and the nation, but Boyd’s rocket shot over the left field fence was the only one in the playoff game.
Danville took the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning when Ethan Wood’s grounder to Ben Meier at shortstop was thrown wide of first base allowing two runs to score for a 4-3 advantage.
Danville pitcher Christian Howe, who signed with the University of Kentucky in November, eventually settled down and kept the Tigers silent in his final three innings on the mound while his team tacked on two more runs.
In the bottom of the seventh, Boyd got a run-scoring double with two outs off Danville relief pitcher Brady Baxter to make the score 6-4. But Baxter got Brice Estep to fly out to centerfield to end the game and pick up his first save of the season.
It was Berger’s only loss of the season to finish with a 7-1 record. He went five innings, giving up five runs on six hits while striking out four.
Boyd was just a triple away from the cycle for the Tigers, going 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run.
Danville advances to Wednesday’s state quarterfinal matchup with Lafayette at Legends Field in Lexington.
Lafayette 10, Campbell County 5
Just like Beechwood earlier in the day, Campbell County jumped out to a 3-2 lead before ultimately seeing its season end. Lafayette (34-7) used a five-run third inning to open up a 7-3 lead on its way to the victory.
Campbell County (25-15-1) came out on fire, scoring two runs off the the first four batters who stepped to the plate. Aydan Hamilton’s single to centerfield got the Camels on the board first and Logan Stevenson’s sacrifice fly pushed across the second run of the inning.
Lafayette answered in the bottom of the first with RBIs on a sacrifice fly and a triple. But Josh Napier gave the lead back to the Camels with a two-out RBI single to right field in the top of the second.
The Generals took charge of the game with five runs in the bottom of the third to chase Campbell County starting pitcher Jack Sell from the game. Sell threw 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Ben Prather’s screaming line drive to center field pushed across the first two runs in that inning and the Generals got three more to take a 7-3 lead.
Campbell County junior Greg Vineyard responded in the top of the fourth with an RBI single off Lafayette reliever Jaden Basham. When Lafayette scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, it was answered in the top of the sixth by Napier’s third hit of the day for the Camels. His RBI single to centerfield trimmed the Lafayette’s lead to 8-5.
The Generals put the game out of reach with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Basham (6-0) picked up the win in relief. In the final four innings, he allowed just two hits.