By Leeann Tanner - Staff Writer
The Morehead American Legion team is taking a much-needed break this weekend after two steady weeks of games.
On June 15, the Crusaders headed to Montgomery County and suffered a 4-2 loss.
“We had some problems because it was raining and that caused some errors,” Coach John Maggard said. “Overall they played well, but the errors were our main problem. It wasn’t really the players, it was just one of those nasty days where the ball was slick and the field was wet.”
Jon Adkins was on the mound for Morehead, fanning out one batter and allowing four runs on five hits.
At the plate, Paul Glover and Skyler Adams had one double each. Jacob Grindle and Ethan Maggard each had a double and a triple while Jared Royse smacked three singles.
The Crusaders fell to Shelbyville June 16, 11-10.
“Shelbyville is always a state contender, but we had them buried 9-1 in the sixth,” Maggard said. “I think the boys thought they had them buried, and with a team like Shelbyville you cannot give up. You have to keep pressure on them because they will always come back on you.”
Corey Oney started on the mound, fanning out three and allowing just one run on four hits. Grindle took over too allow seven runs on six hits.
“He just didn’t focus on the pitching,” Maggard said of Grindle. “He let up a little and when he did they went off.”
Shelbyville trailed 9-5 going into the final inning. They led off with their number eight batter and scored six runs for the win.
At the plate, Laken Johnson had a double and two singles. Glover and Nick Duff had three singles each while Adams, Andy Russell, David Valdepena, and Jordan Milles had two base hits each.
Last weekend, Morehead traveled to Danville for a tournament.
In the first game, the Crusaders fell to the Central Kentucky Mudcats, 13-7.
Duff started on the mound with some control issues and the Mudcats were ahead 9-0 at the bottom of two when Kyle Finley took over. Finley allowed four runs on seven hits.
Morehead squeezed out two runs in the third and five in the fifth, leaving two men on base.
The Crusaders shook off the first game with a two-hour break and a good team dinner. They came into the second game against Nelson County for an 11-4 victory.
“When we went back to the field we took it to Nelson County,” Maggard said. “They are a good team. They execute well and have good pitching. We put the bat on the ball and it was a different team that walked on the field.”
At the plate, Royse and Duff each had a home run and a double and Johnson had a home run. Adams had a double and two base hits while Nickell and Russell each had singles.
Adams pitched five innings for the Crusaders, allowing four runs on four hits. Glover buttoned up the game with three hits and no runs.
Several players had to miss Sunday’s match up with Danville, where Morehead fell, 8-1.
“We only had 10 players,” Maggard said. “Our pitching was low and we had to piece everything together.”
Corey Oney was on the mound for the first four innings and held Danville. Glover took the mound and Danville found their rhythm.
“Paul’s velocity was off,” Maggard said. “They scored four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth for the win.”
On Monday, Morehead headed to Boyd County for twin victories. In the first matchup, the Crusaders shut Boyd out, 10-0.
“Glover really went the distance in the first game,” Maggard said. “He allowed just one hit the entire game and hit two home runs.”
Johnson and Royse had a double and a single each. Adams had two singles and a double. Dunn slapped three base hits and Adams had two plus a double. Grindle also had a double.
In the nightcap, Morehead won 15-5.
Adkins had a grand slam and a double while Duff pounded a three-run homer. Adams had a double and two singles. Royse and Grindle had two singles each while Glover and Dunn hit one base hit each.
The Crusaders were schedule to head to Cereda-Kanova this weekend for another tournament, but full schedules and injured players are forcing them to take a break.
“This may be a godsend for us and give us the opportunity to rest up,” Maggard said. “It has been a long row to hoe lately, so it will give is a chance to be ready for the tournament next weekend.”
Morehead heads to the Metcalf County Tourney July 2-5, but will hold practices and hopefully some rescheduled games in the meantime.
“We have come together a lot lately,” Maggard said. “If we lose, it has been by very few runs for the most part. But when we win, we win big. We are at a point where we are going to see these guys really turn on, and it is the perfect time for that to happen.”
