When it’s the regional tournament, most coaches aren’t that worried about style points, and Harlan coach Lee Freyer agrees.
Harlan missed several scoring opportunities early before finally breaking through with two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to defeat Barbourville 5-1 in the first game of the 13th Region Tournament on Monday at Bell County. It was the second straight year that the Dragons have defeated Barbourville in the first round of the regional.
“This time of the year an ugly win is a win. It’s all about surviving and advancing,” Freyer said. “Brody (Owens) did a wonderful on the mound for us this morning. He kept Barbourville’s bats off balance all day. He’s really stepping up on the mound. I believe everyone on the staff knew he was capable of performing this way. He’s our everyday catcher so opportunities for him to pitch have been sparse. I’m also proud of Chris Rouse for stepping up and being our primary catcher. He’s been doing a really good job behind the plate.
“We have to be better on the base paths this late in the season. We left eight or nine in scoring position today because of bad base running. The guys know what they did. That’s the thing about a maturing team. They are almost where they need to be, but still room for improvement.”
Owens gave up one unearned run on three hits with nine strikeouts and four walks.
Will Varner and Rouse each had two hits for the 17-12 Dragons. Eli Freyer, Jake Brewer, Luke Luttrell, Grant Shelton and Jaxson Perry added one single each.
Luke Hillard pitched a complete game for Barbourville. Connor West led the 11-12 Tigers on offense with two singles. Hillard had a double. Jacob Burdine added a single.
Varner singled in the fifth inning and Owens was safe on an error before Freyer finally put the Dragons on the board with an RBI single that turned into two runs after an error in the outfield.
Luttrell and Rouse singled in the seventh inning, and both scored on Perry’s hit. Perry came home on an error.
“We hit the ball really well tonight against one of the best pitchers in the region. We had a lot of traffic on the base paths, but just couldn’t push anyone across the plate,” Freyer said. “When Eli came up with a couple guys on and drove them in, it gave us more confidence at the plate. Kind of like a basketball analogy — sometimes you are getting good shots but the basket seems like it has a lid on it. Once that first one goes in, shots start falling. That’s how I feel the scoring went for us tonight. After we pushed a couple across the plate we were able to build off that. Jaxson Perry stepped up, drove a couple runs in and stole some bags. That kept the momentum going for us. I’m pleased to get the win. Any time you don’t play your best and still win it gives you things to work on without losing too much sleep.”
Harlan will play Whitley County in the semifinals on Tuesday.
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Barbourville 000 000 1 — 1. 3. 3
Harlan 000 023 x — 5 9. 2
Hillard and West; Owens and Rouse. WP — Owens (3-3). LP — Hillard.
Barbourville 000 000 1 — 1. 3. 3
Harlan 000 023 x — 5 9. 2
Hillard and West; Owens and Rouse. WP — Owens. LP — Hillard.