BARBOURVILLE — The defending state champion Whitley County Colonels had no trouble in eliminating Clay County on Thursday while punching their ticket into Friday’s 13th Region Tournament title game.
Coach Jeremy Shope couldn’t have asked for a better pitching performance by Tyler Rose and Kip Allen as they combined for a no-hitter.
Rose tossed two innings while striking out two batters. Allen pitched the final three innings and recorded five Ks.
Whitley County will now face-off against rival Corbin in Friday’s title game at 6 p.m. the Colonels are 1-2 against the Redhounds which includes last week’s 6-2 loss in the 50th District title game.
“Proud of our team in reaching the region championship once again,” Shope said. “Our pitching and defense has given us a chance. We also put a lot of offensive pressure on them. We were able to steal some bases and get some big hits. We’re excited for the opportunity to compete for another region championship.”
The Colonels broke the game open against the Tigers in the third inning, scoring six runs to take a 6-0 lead. Whitley County added two more runs in the fourth inning and pushed across two runs in the fifth inning to make the score, 10-0.
Chris Cureton led the way at the plate with a 3-for-3 effort while driving in a run and scoring once. EJ Allen had two hits, and RBI and a run scored while Matthew Wright delivered a hit, two RBI, and scored once. Rose finished with a hit, an RBI, and a run scored while Bryce Anderson drove in a run and scored twice. Hunter Wilson also drove in a run while Jason Nunley scored once.
