FLORENCE, Ky. – Beechwood’s baseball team used a familiar formula of great pitching and timely hitting to advance to the state tournament.
Beechwood defeated Ryle 4-0 in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Ninth Region championship game May 28 at Thomas More Stadium.
Beechwood (32-9) won its first regional title since 2023 and fifth in the last seven seasons. The Tigers will play in the KHSAA state baseball tournament at 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Legends Field in Lexington. They will play 12th Region champion West Jessamine, which defeated Danville, 3-1 May 28.
Ryle, last champion in 2024, finished 25-15.
Beechwood senior Sawyer Carlisle pitched a complete-game shutout. He allowed five hits and improved to 6-1 on the season.
Senior Zach True knocked in two of the four runs. Caleb Arrasmith had two hits for the Tigers.
At the top of the fourth, Ryle left a runner on first when Beechwood center fielder Tyler Fryman made a nice running catch.
The Tigers got the first score of the game in the fourth inning. Brooks Becker and Caleb Arrasmith hit one-out singles. Jackson Mando walked. Zach True hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
In the top of the fifth, Ryle got the first two on with singles by Broddick Parr and Abram Pabst. Parr moved to third on a fly out.
Senior Anthony Coppola came up with runners on first and third. He put down a bunt, and Pabst moved to second. It seemed to be a safety squeeze bunt attempt but the runner didn’t score. Carlisle struck out the next batter to end the threat.
In the bottom of the fifth, Beechwood got the first two on with a single by Gavinn Ollier and a walk to Fryman.
Isaac Curry came on in relief for Ryle. He retired Hudson Edwards on a grounder, then threw a wild pitch to score courtesy runner Kellen Siemer and make it 2-0. Sawyer Carlisle helped his own cause, singling to left to score Fryman and make it 3-0.
In the sixth, Beechwood collected key insurance. Arrasmith led off with his second hit, a single. Mando walked. True picked up his second RBI of the night with a single to left to make it 4-0.
This story will be updated
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Beechwood vs. Ryle in KHSAA Ninth Region baseball championship game
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