By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
What may be the biggest game in the history of the Beechwood baseball program is set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday night when the Tigers take on Louisville Trinity in the quarterfinals of the state tournament at Legends Field in Lexington.
Last week, Trinity was ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation by USA Today. The defending state champions have a 37-3 record and 47-game win streak against in-state opponents over two seasons.
The Kentucky high school baseball playoffs are not classified by enrollments, so this will be a classic David vs. Goliath matchup. Based on figures posted by the KHSAA, Beechwood’s enrollment in grades 8-12 is around 500 and Trinity’s is more than 1,100.
In the first round of the state tournament on Friday, Trinity defeated Bullitt East, 5-0, and Beechwood outscored West Jessamine, 6-2, to create their quarterfinal matchup.
The Tigers (33-9) will likely send junior pitcher Caleb Arrasmith to the mound against the Shamrocks. He has a 9-2 record and 1.96 ERA.
Beechwood’s winning pitcher on Friday was senior Sawyer Carlisle, who had 12 strikeouts and allowed only three singles. He had a shutout until the bottom of the seventh inning when West Jessamine scored on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. The Tigers had starting pitchers go the distance in each of their last four games.
Carlisle also went 4-for-4 at the plate. The Tigers only extra-base hit was a two-run homer by junior outfielder Tyler Fryman in the seventh inning.
He ripped a ball into right-center field gap and raced around the bases after going hitless in his 10 previous at-bats. It was the 12th home run this season for the 9th Region Player of the Year.
Beechwood took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on run-scoring singles by designated hitter Zach True and outfielder Jackson Mando. In the sixth, pinch runner Bobby Meier came home from third on a fielder’s choice.
The winner of the Beechwood-Trinity game will advance to the state semifinals on Friday, June 12 at Kentucky Proud Field on the University of Kentucky campus. The last time Beechwood made it to the state final four was 2006.
BEECHWOOD 000 201 3 — 6 11 0
WEST JESSAMINE 000 000 2 — 2 3 3
WP — Sawyer Carlisle (12 Ks). LP — Tyler Giles.
HITTING LEADERS: B — Sawyer Carlisle 4-4, Tyler Fryman HR, 2 RBI; Zach True 2-3. RECORDS: Beechwood 33-9, West Jessaminme 20-20.