By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The final game in the opening round of the KHSAA State Tournament on Monday featured a couple of teams with identical 32-6 records heading into the matchup. 

Tates Creek, the hottest team in the state, brought their 19 game winning streak into the 8:30 PM contest.  That streak was one shy of the 20 game winning streak Collins had to begin the season.

Collins jumped on top in a big way in the second inning sending ten batters to the plate that resulted in a six-run outburst off of Tates Creek starter Caleb Johnson, an Eastern Kentucky signee.  Junior third baseman Mason Jeffries got things started with a single to left-center.  Pitcher Dan Sanders drew a walk, and after Johnson got Austin Perry to strikeout, he walked Paul Miller and David Decker to give the Titans the first run of the game.  Collins then strung together three consecutive hits by senior shortstop Logan Bailey, senior center fielder Nate Clifton, and senior second baseman Buddy Johnson to give the Titans a 5-0 lead.  The final run of the inning came on junior catcher Zac Wiley’s ground ball to shortstop.

Collins senior right-hander Dan Sanders held the Tates Creek offense at bay with an 82-84 mph fastball and good feel for his curveball, allowing just two hits through the first four innings.

Tates Creek finally pushed a run across in the fifth as Austin Younce was hit by a Sanders pitch, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and scored on a single up the middle by senior catcher Nathan Black. 

In the meantime, Tates Creek senior lefty Aaron Mitchell, who will pitch at Wabash Valley next season, kept the Commodores in the game, holding Collins scoreless over his four innings of relief as he recorded 5 strikeouts in the process.

Tates Creek drew a little closer in the sixth as Javon Shelby (Kentucky signee) led off the inning with a double, advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball to make the score 6-2, but with a runner in scoring position and two outs, Buddy Johnson came on to pitch and struck out Nick Richmond to end the inning.

Johnson remained on the mound in the seventh to close it out, but not before things would get interesting.

Austin Younce reached base for the third time in the game when he drew a lead-off walk, and one out later junior shortstop Devin Hairston blasted a home run to left field to make it a 6-4 game.  Junior left fielder Luke Rouse followed with a single to right field, his second hit of the game, to bring Shelby to the plate representing the tying run.  In what may have been the biggest out of the game, Johnson got Shelby to pop up to the mound and then got Blake Rose to hit a fly ball to left field to preserve the victory.

Logan Bailey went 3-4 with a RBI, and Buddy Johnson went 3-3 with 2 RBI to lead the Collins offensive attack.

Luke Rouse went 2-4 in the Tates Creek loss.

Collins advances to face Henderson County June 5 at 6:00 PM in the quarterfinals.