Longhorns Round-Up: Pot of Gold

As they sat in the third base dugout last Thursday night, waiting in vain for play to resume after a downpour turned the baseball diamond into a mud wrestling pit without their Beechmont 12U competitive league game even having made it out of the first inning, the Louisville Longhorn players saw the sign. A magnificent, multi-colored, parabolic sign. A sign of better things to come: stretching far and wide beyond the left field fence, a rainbow (a double-rainbow, in fact), at the end of which was the promise of a pot of gold.

After a month of record-breaking rainfall that resulted in the cancellation of nine games and limited the team to but one outdoor practice over a three-week span, the Longhorns traveled to the end of that rainbow. There, at A.B. Sawyer Park, they found the aforementioned pot of gold, in the form of weather that would allow them to get in the full compliment of games at the Lyndon Derby Classic baseball tournament. With players and fans alike enjoying the respite from the rain, the Longhorns made the most of the opportunity to once again be outside, playing the game that they love. Over four games, they overran their opponents by a combined score of 48-4 and ultimately took home their third championship trophy of the young season.

GAME RE-CAP Rust? What rust? Despite having played only one game over the previous 25 days, the Longhorns came out flinging and swinging, with the pitchers holding the Oldham County Vipers hitless and the batters scoring in three of the first four innings while racking up 10 hits in an 8-0 victory.

To play loose you gotta be loose,

and Andrew Littlefield and Matthew Higgins

were definitely loose before the start of Game 1.

SNAKE BITES Just Say No: Starting pitcher Nicholas Parrish tossed three innings of no-hit ball, while striking out 4, and Casey Simon followed with two perfect innings for the combined no-hitter... 1-2 Punch: Andrew Littlefield and Simon, batting out of the numbers 1 and 2 slots in the order, both went 3-for-3 with a double... Familiar Face at First Base: With a single and two walks in three trips to the plate, Ryan Hamilton had ample opportunity to get to know the Vipe’s first sacker... Twice as Nice: Bryce Elmore swiped both second and third base, following his 4th inning single, for his first two stolen sacks of the season.

Trey Sweeney gets a big lead off first base

after his 4th inning, run-scoring base hit.

GAME RE-CAP Down 3-2, with only one hit on the ledger after four innings, the Longhorns erupted for 8 runs on 8 hits in the bottom of the 5th against a Triple Crown Express pitcher who had retired 9 batters in a row and 12 of the last 13 he faced. As with the previous game, L-Horn fans were treated to gorgeous weather and an equally beautiful pitching performance, as three hurlers combined to limit the visitors from Cincinnati to but one hit.

Starting pitcher Trey Sweeney

allowed just one hit in three innings pitched.

LYNDON LOWDOWN Don’t Fence Me In: Matthew Higgins belted his team-high 5th home run of the year, a solo shot in the 2nd inning, and Ryan Hamilton launched his first of the season, a 2-run clout in the 5th, with the latter putting the Longhorns ahead to stay... There’s More Where That Came From: Higgins stroked two additional base hits to go with his round-tripper, for a perfect 3-for-3 day at the dish... Doublemint Twins: Trey Sweeney and Casey Simon larruped back-to-back twin-baggers in the ’Horns 8-run 5th inning... Boffo Burglars: Nicholas Parrish and Noah Baugher both stole second and third base en route to scoring in the 5th frame... High Five: Andrew Littlefield’s 2 runs scored gave him 5 tallies in the first two games of the tournament... One-Hit Wonders: Trey Sweeney allowed just one hit over 3 innings, Casey Simon tossed 2 innings of perfect ball and Littlefield stymied the Express in the final frame as the three mound-mates combined on a one-hitter.

Andrew Arnold awaits his pitch.

Not sure which was bigger: Ryan Hamilton’s 2-run tater

that put the Longhorns up for good, or the smile that accompanied

the game ball he earned for his fence-busting feat.

RE-CAP Having already won their pool and a guaranteed spot in the tournament championship game, the Longhorns awoke Sunday morning to learn that a curious decision was made by the tournament organizers that necessitated the ’Horns having to, in effect, earn their way twice into the title tilt. Undaunted by the gauntlet thrown down before them, the team took the field sporting their Texas-Orange, special-occasion-only Dri-Fits and proceeded to no-hit and run-rule their pool-play Game 2 opponents, the Triple Crown Express, beating their Buckeye State guests 12-0 in 3 innings.

Nicholas Parrish ropes one of his two semifinal game base hits.

Matthew Higgins gets some serious tongue action going

as he prepares to score the 7th run of the game.

SEMIFINALITIES Pitcher-Perfect: Andrew Littlefield twirled 3 innings of perfect 3-up, 3-down ball, striking out 2 and needing only a paltry 29 pitches (22 strikes) to earn the victory atop the hill... I Got Your Back: Bryce Elmore preserved Littlefield’s perfecto with a stellar, running grab of a sinking liner hit into the right-center field gap in the 3rd inning... Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Casey Simon had his second 3-for-3 game of the tournament, including a 1st inning double and a 2nd inning home run, his second of the season... Ribbiefest: Noah Baugher drove in 2 runs with his 2nd inning base hit, and Andrew Littlefield echoed that sentiment with a 2-run base knock in the 3rd... I’ll See Your Two and Raise You One: Andrew Arnold drove in a game-high 3 runs, going 2-for-2 at the plate... Do Two, Too: Nicholas Parrish matched A.J.’s hit total for the game with safeties in each of his two plate appearances.

Casey Simon is greeted by his teammates

after his 2nd inning circuit clout.

RE-CAP With 30 runs scored over the first three games of the tournament, the Longhorns saved the very best for last, recording season-highs in both runs scored and base hits in an 18-1 championship game victory over the At The Yard Titans. The offensive onslaught was truly a team-wide affair, with all 10 batters scoring at least one run, 9 registering at least one hit and 8 notching at least one RBI. Up 8-1 after 5 innings, the Longhorns sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the final frame to put an exclamation point on an already-impressive tournament showing. Once again, the Longhorn pitching corps was in shut-down mode, limiting their Northern Kentucky foes to 3 hits and one lone, unearned run over the 6 inning title affair.

Noah Baugher receives a fatherly fist-bump

after one of his three consecutive base hits.

Catcher Bryce Elmore nabbed one base-stealer,

collected two hits and scored twice.

CHAMPIONSHIP CHATTER Yard Work: Ryan Hamilton went deep for his second tournament tater and had 2 hits and 2 RBIs... Three-peat Performance: Noah Baugher closed out the tourney with three straight base knocks... Armed and Dangerous: From behind the dish, catcher Bryce Elmore gunned down a would-be base nabber in the 4th inning; beside the dish, Elmore stroked 2 base hits... Batman and Ribbies: Andrew Arnold drove in a game-high 4 runs with a 1st inning single and a 6th inning double... Dynamic Duo: Numbers 1 and 2 hitters Andrew Littlefield and Casey Simon were a combined 4-for-8 with 5 runs scored and 7 RBIs... Winning Ways: Starting pitcher Nicholas Parrish twirled 4-2/3 innings of 2-hit ball to earn the championship game W... Slugging and Slinging: Brendan Koester clubbed a 2nd inning double and later took to the mound to hurl a perfect 6th inning, with 2 strikeouts, to end the game.