Beechwood wins 1st round at state baseball on Roseburrough's walk-off hit

LEXINGTON – Beechwood has found several different ways to win in the baseball postseason.

Thursday night, it was senior Jackson Roseburrough delivering a walkoff single to left to plate Ben Meier and give the Tigers a 7-6 win over Owensboro Catholic in eight innings in the first round of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state baseball tournament.

“I knew he was going to throw a fastball,” Roseburrough said. “3-2 count, I knew he was going to throw strikes. I was trying to get my barrel on it, and it worked out. Seeing Ben cross the plate was an amazing feeling.”

Meier led off with a single and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Sam Cottengim walked, it was Roseburrough’s time.

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The senior had hit a key home run in the Ninth Region final.

“I knew my guys believed in me,” he said. “I just went out there, do what I do, and have fun.

We just had to stay focused and play our game.”

Beechwood (29-6) will play Fourth Region champion Russell County (29-6) in the quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park. The winner advances to next weekend’s semifinals June 10.

Torin O’Shea got the win after coming into the game in the sixth inning and pitching 2.1 innings of no-hit relief, striking out three.

“Torin is usually good for one or two innings, but he went three and he was fantastic,” Gray said.

Another key player who doesn’t get much limelight is Nazario Pangallo. He had an RBI triple and a key early defensive play.

In the top of the first inning, Pangallo, playing center field, made his first big play of the game.

OCath put a runner at second with one out after a Beechwood throwing error. Luke Scales singled to centerfield, then Pangallo threw out the runner at home by several steps.

“He didn’t start many games in the regional,” Gray said. “We had Landon Johnson in there because he was swinging the bat good. Today, we decided to go with defense. Owensboro Catholic can swing it, and we knew even with Mitchell (Berger) on the mound, we needed our best defense out there.”

Beechwood took the lead right away in the bottom of the first.

After Brett Holladay walked and advanced on an error, Estep hit a very high fly ball near the right-field line that no fielder could get to. It resulted in an RBI double.

Mitchell Berger grounded to Scales at shortstop. He briefly thought about throwing out courtesy runner Shawn Sowder third, but after a moment, tried to throw to first, and Berger was safe.

Ben Meier hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Alex Castlen got one back for the Aces with a home run in the second inning, his first of the season.

The Aces threatened in the third, putting runners on second and third with one out. Berger struck out cleanup hitter Sam McFarland, who was also the starting pitcher. Then the next batter grounded to Sam Cottengim at second base, and Cottengim barely threw him out in time to end the inning.

Beechwood scored twice in the third on a walk to Cameron Boyd, a double by Holladay, an RBI single by Estep to left and a sacrifice fly to Berger.

Beechwood increased the lead to four at 5-1 in the fourth inning following a single by Jackson Roseburrough and a triple down the right-field line by Pangallo.

OCath scored twice in the fifth on three hits and one error. Berger was replaced on the mound in the inning by Sam Stacy. Berger allowed six hits, one earned run and struck out eight.

The Tigers got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Estep led off with a single for his third hit of the game. His runner, Sowder, scored, on an RBI double by Tanner Jackson, and Beechwood led 6-3.

OCath tied the game with three in the sixth after Sam Stacy retired the first two batters.

Braden Mundy tied the game with a two-run single to left. Torin O'Shea came in to pitch with runners on first and second and two outs. With two runners on, Brady Atwell hit a deep drive to left field that Holladay ran down to end the inning.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Beechwood wins state tourney opener on Roseburrough's walk-off hit