Hornets Sweep Two Games In Kentucky

The Nashville Hornets picked up four wins this past week. Nashville defeated DuQuoin, Pinckneyville, Carlisle County, Kentucky, and Graves County, Kentucky. The Hornets lone hiccup this week was a loss to Carterville. Nashville finished conference play with an 8-2 record. The Hornets are currently in second place in conference. Carterville clinched at least a share of conference. Carterville sits with an 8-1 record. The Lions final conference game is against Sparta.

The Hornets began the week with a 13-3 win over DuQuoin in six innings. The Hornets trailed early, but scored ten runs in the sixth inning to come away with the win.

DuQuoin jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings of play. The Hornets bats came alive in the fourth as Nashville pushed across two runs to get back in the game. Cole Malawy drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Nick Paszkiewicz singled home the second run of the game. After four innings, the Hornets trailed 3-2.

Nashville would tie the game in the top of the fifth. Kelton Harre walked to lead off the inning. Tanner Bergmann doubled Harre to third. Ian Blazier tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Hornets sent 14 batters to the plate in the top of the sixth inning. Eight different players came around to score in the inning. The Hornets notched six hits in the inning, walked three times, was hit by one pitch, and took advantage of three DuQuoin errors in the frame.

Nashville closed out the game in the sixth and the Hornets picked up the win.

Malawy led the way with a 3-3 day. Malawy scored two runs, and drove in three runs. Malawy walked in the win. Blazier finished 2-2 with two runs scored, and had three RBIs. Paszkiewicz finished with two hits, two runs, and two RBIs. Paszkiewicz also walked once. Gavin Baldwin finished with two hits, walked twice and drove in a run. Bergmann and Todd Jahnke each finished with one hit and a RBI. Carson Parker notched a hit and scored a run. Bryce Bultman scored a run and drove in a run. Harre and Jacob Rounds each scored two runs. Nick Miller scored one run.

On the mound, Jahnke pitched all six innings. Jahnke gave up four hits, three earned runs, and struck out seven.

Carterville pulled away late, as they defeated the Hornets for the second time this season, 6-2 on April 23.

Nashville was the first to score in the contest as a bases loaded walk to Bultman gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Carterville tied the game in the top of the fifth, but the Hornets took the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning. Nashville took advantage of an errant throw, allowing Malawy to break the tie.

Carterville tied the game again in the top of the sixth, and added four insurance runs in the seventh. Nashville could not make a comeback in the bottom half of the frame as Carterville clinched a share of the SIRR Mississippi Division.

Nashville finished with just two hits in the game. Malawy finished 1-3 with two runs scored. Baldwin had the lone other hit for the Hornets. Bultman had the only RBI for Nashville in the game.

Free bases hurt the Hornets on the mound. Nashville walked eight batters in the loss. Parker pitched the first six innings. Parker gave up two earned runs, walked five, and struck out six. Baldwin pitched a third of an inning. Baldwin gave up four earned runs, one hit, and walked three. Bultman pitched two-thirds of an inning. Bultman gave up two hits, and struck out one.

Despite the free passes Coach Malway talked about Parker pitching well in a big game. “That’s one thing we wanted to get out of this game. We feel like he is a big time pitcher for us and one of the guys, as one of the guys at the top of our rotation. This was a great opportunity for him to go out. I thought he threw a great game. I thought he was sharp, and when he gave away a free base he got hurt a little bit. That’s a good lesson for a pitcher”. Malawy went on to talk about the game as a whole. “That was a well played game by both teams overall. That’s the way baseball goes. We are not used to losing, so when we do lose it probably hurts a little more. It feels like more of a loss to the team, bothers them a little more. That’s a good thing because we are not used to losing. Carterville got us twice this year. They are a good team. They are a scrappy bunch.”

The Hornets played their final conference game on April 26 as they defeated Pinckneyville 12-0 in six innings. The Hornets scored early and often as they disposed of their rival Panthers. Although the game was played in Nashville, the Hornets were the away team due to the game being moved from Pinckneyville to Nashville.

Nashville took the lead in the top of the first and never looked back. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Gavin Baldwin plated the first run of the game. Bultman would then hit a fielder’s choice later in the inning that would score Baldwin and give the Hornets a 2-0 lead.

The Hornets extended their lead in the third when Paszkiewicz scored on an error. Malawy, Paszkiewicz, and Bultman all drove in runs in the fourth. By the end of the fourth, the Hornets held a 7-0 advantage.

Miller doubled in two more in the top of the fifth to give the Hornets a 9-0 lead over the Panthers.

In the top of the sixth, Bergmann and Blazier each had RBI singles to give Nashville an 11-0 lead. Patrick Combs would walk later in the inning to push the lead to 12-0. Pinckneyville would go quietly in the bottom of the sixth, and Nashville would take the win.

Matt Anderson was phenomenal on the mound for the Hornets. Anderson pitched all six innings, and gave up just one hit. Anderson struck out four and walked three in the contest. Anderson needed just 69 pitches to get the shutout.

At the plate, Bultman led the Hornets with two hits, a run scored and two RBIs. Malawy and Miller each finished with a hit, a run, and two RBIs. Paszkiewicz finished 3-3 with two runs scored. Blazier drove in one run on two hits. Baldwin scored three runs, singled, and drove in a run. Bergmann singled, walked, scored a run, and drove in a run. Combs walked and drove in a run. Harre, batting leadoff for the first time this season, finished 2-4 with two runs scored.

The Hornets then traveled down to Mayfield, Kentucky for a doubleheader against Carlisle County and Graves County.

The Hornets first contest in Kentucky was against Carlisle County. A pitcher’s duel throughout, the Hornets came away with a 3-1 win.

Nashville scored two in the top of the first. Malawy scored on a wild pitch, and Baldwin would score on a groundout from Bultman.

Carlisle County would score a run in the bottom half of the first, but would leave the bases loaded as Bultman limited the damage.

The two pitchers would take over. The score would hold steady until the fifth when Baldwin crushed a ball just inside the foul pole for a solo home run to lead off the frame.

It would be the final run of the contest as the Hornets held on for a 3-1 win.

Bultman kept Carlisle County off balance all day. Bultman sprinkled six hits over seven innings. Bultman gave up just one earned run. Bultman struck out six, and walked two.

The Hornets had just three hits in the game, but drew an incredible 12 walks. Baldwin finished 2-3 one of which being the home run. Baldwin scored two runs, and walked once. Harre notched the third hit for the Hornets in the game. Bultman walked three times in the contest, and drove in a run. Malawy also walked three times. Blazier finished with two walks. Miller, Jahnke, and Paszkiewicz each walked once.

The Hornets second game of the day came against the Graves County Eagles. The Hornets used two big innings to push past the Eagles 15-4 in five frames.

Nashville grabbed the lead in the top of the first as Baldwin came around to score on an error.

The Hornets would hold the 1-0 lead until the third when seven runs came around to score. Ten batters came to the plate. Graves County committed two errors in the frame. Miller had a home run the hard way in the inning as he raced around the bases for a 2-run inside the park homer. By the end of the third, the Hornets led 8-0.

Graves County scored two in the bottom of the third, but in the fourth the Hornets would get those runs back and then some. Nashville put up six more runs in the top of the fourth inning. 12 batters would come to the plate in the fourth inning for the Hornets. Nashville had six hits in the inning, which included a triple and two doubles. At the end of the fourth, Nashville was in control 14-2.

The Hornets scored their final run of the contest in the fifth, when Combs singled home Zack Kempfer. Graves County scored two in the fifth, but the result was never in doubt as Nashville picked up the win.

Baldwin did not drive in a run but finished the game 3-3 with three runs scored. Bultman drove in two runs on two hits, and scored two runs. Blazier, Jahnke, and Miller each drove in two runs on one hit. Blazier scored two runs. Miller scored one run. Combs finished 1-1 with a RBI. Malawy scored two runs, drove in a run, and walked. Harre  and Kempfer both singled and scored a run. Patrick Combs, Bergmann, Nolan Heggemeier each singled. Michael Combs, Rounds, and Paszkiewicz all scored a run.

Jahnke pitched the first four innings of the game. Jahnke gave up five hits, two earned runs, and struck out four. Patrick Combs pitched the final inning in relief. Combs gave up two hits, two earned runs, struck out one, and walked two.