Adair County Baseball saw an otherwise impressive season come to a disappointing end Friday night in Campbellsville. The Tribe (19-15), The 20th District’s No. 2 seed, fell to a red-hot Marion County (23-8) squad 13-1 in five innings.
“I think we ran into a really good arm,” Adair head coach Ryan McQueary said after the game. “I think they might be the hottest team in the region right now.”
The arm McQueary referenced is Marion County standout sophomore Brady Hutchins, who held the Indians to just four hits on his way to the complete game win. On the other side, a pair of Marion County grand slams proved more than enough to ensure victory for the 3-seeded Knights.
The Indians ran through their four top pitchers in the game, starting with Braxton Smith, who took the loss, followed by Kaleb Keltner, Carson Jessie, and Brayton Coomer. Only Coomer, a freshman, had the kind of stuff working that the squad has been accustomed to most of the season.
“We got down a few runs early, and our pitchers just weren’t as sharp tonight,” McQueary said. “We haven’t played as well lately. We were that hot at a point in time this year, but things cooled off. You want to be as hot as you can be at tournament time, and for whatever reason we just weren’t there.”
After a scoreless first inning, Marion sent three across the plate in the second, followed by six in the third inning and four more in the fourth, including the aforementioned grand slams in the third and fourth innings. With Adair’s offense unable to put together a rally, the game ended with a 10-run-rule finish after the fifth. Coomer accounted for the team’s only run, scoring on a Braxton Smith sac fly in the final inning after tripling down the right field line.
Despite the loss, McQueary said he was proud of his team and its accomplishments over the course the season.
“It’s been a good year. Nineteen wins is solid for sure. We wanted a better outcome tonight, but I’m proud of our guys. I love them all.”
After the game, Braxton Smith was named to the district’s all-academic and all-season team. Coomer, Jessie, and sophomore Jake McQueary also earned all-season honors, with Coomer the team’s lone selection for the all-tournament team.
