In a rare battle of brothers on Tuesday at Letcher Central, little brother gave the Harlan County Black Bears one of their best performances in an otherwise rough 2025 season.
Zayden Casolari, a sophomore, squared off on the mound against junior Brayden Casolari, who transferred from HCHS to Letcher after winning a regional golf championship in the fall. Zayden pitched a three-hitter with four strikeouts and three walks while allowing only one unearned run in a complete-game effort as the Bears rolled to an 8-1 win.
“I was really proud of Zayden tonight. A lot of emotions went into the game going against his brother, but he came in and was in his zone,” Harlan County coach Scotty Bailey said. “He’s throwing harder and locating better than he ever has. He got us some ground balls when needed and the defense played very well behind him. His confidence is growing every outing he has. The sky is the limit for him.”
Junior catcher DaShaun Smith again led the HCHS offense with a double and single for three RBI. Freshman center fielder Brayden Morris also drove in three runs and scored twice on two singles and two walks from the leadoff spot. Kayden Adams had two singles and two runs scored. Aiden Craig, Jesse Gilbert, Casolari and Carson Clark added one single each.
“I thought defensively we made a lot of plays — two double plays and some really hard balls getting to by the infielders and making the play, and the outfield diving catches and throwing guys out. I’m very proud of them today,” Bailey said. “I was proud of us at the plate today. I think that’s something that has been a deciding factor for us in a lot of games this year, but we are a young group and it’s just going to take reps and putting in extra work, but I love this group and how much fire they played with today. DeShaun came up with some really big hits, along with Morris and Kayden Adams. If we can get them getting on base, they’re so fast it’s a hard out. We just have to keep working and getting better each day. I’m proud of them.”
Brayden Casolari struggled with command as he walked Morris and Smith to start the game, then hit Craig with a pitch before exiting. Dylan Eldridge came on to pitch and allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings. Jayden Wright allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over two innings.
Quinton Williams, Dawson Kincer and Andrew Little — all seniors — had one single each out of the top three spots in the order for the 12-8 Cougars.
The 5-13 Bears return to action Saturday at Knox Central in a doubleheader.
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Harlan County 200 402 0 — 8. 10. 2
Letcher Central 000 010 0 — 1. 3. 0
Z. Casolari and Smith; B. Casolari, Eldridge (1), Wright (6) and Kincer. WP — Z. Casolari (3-3). LP — B. Casolari.