By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Beechwood got off to a good start in the opening round of the All “A” Classic state baseball tournament on Saturday, but the Tigers lost in the semifinals on Sunday and weren’t able to add to the six state titles they’ve won in the annual small-school playoffs.
In the opening round, Beechwood defeated Lexington Sayre, 7-0, with senior pitcher Chase Flaherty giving up only five hits in six innings on the mound. Flaherty also got three of his team’s 10 hits in that win.
But the Tigers were limited to four singles in a 6-2 semifinal loss to Lyon County on Sunday. Winning pitcher Peyton Williams had nine strikeouts in that game that dropped Beechwood’s record to 14-7.
Lyon County got past Walton-Verona, 1-0, in the opening round. The Lions scored the winning run with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The All “A” Classic state softball tournament was also played over the weekend and Holy Cross finished with a 1-3 record. After pool play on Saturday, the Indians were one of eight teams in the single-elimination bracket and lost to Raceland, 15-0, on Sunday morning.
Lyon County won the All “A” Classic baseball championship and Livingston Central took the softball title.
Softball players among state’s leading hitters
The top three batting averages in Kentucky high school softball belong to Northern Kentucky players, according to statewide statistics posted on the khsaa.org website Sunday morning.
The name at the top of the list is Villa Madonna sophomore Cam Kratzer with a .692 average (27 of 39) through 11 games. She also ranks fourth in RBI with 37 and has 96 strikeouts as a pitcher.
Ludlow freshman Shelby Ralston and Simon Kenton freshman Myka Brown share second place on the list of top hitters with matching .667 averages. Ralston went 18 of 27 in 12 games and Brown went 30 of 45 in 17 games.
Simon Kenton has a 14-4 record after winning its last 10 games. That streak started with five wins during a spring break tournament in Lexington. The Pioneers have a team batting average of .476 and scored 14 runs or more in 11 of their 14 victories.
Beechwood graduate continues hitting streak
Beechwood graduate Cameron Boyd extended his hitting streak to nine games Sunday when he belted a three-run homer for the University of Southern Indiana baseball team in a home game against Eastern Illinois.
In the Screaming Eagles’ last five games, Boyd has gone 14 of 24 at the plate with three homers and 11 runs batted in. The sophomore outfielder hit two homers and had five RBI in a win over Bellarmine last week.
Boyd lifted his season batting average to .306 (41 of 134) with two hits in Sunday’s game. His current season totals include 31 runs scored, 30 RBI, 12 extra-base hits and five home runs in 38 games for the 20-24 USI team that has a 9-9 record in Ohio Valley Conference games.
During his senior season at Beechwood, Boyd batted .508 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. He was named 9th Region Player of the Year by local coaches.