— Justin McGill/Tribune-Courier || Marshall County pitcher Cody Forsythe delivers to the plate during the Marshals’ 3-0 win last Tuesday agasint Calloway County.

Clinched: Marshals nail down top 4th District seed

MCHS also earns berth in region tournament

By Justin McGill
Tribune-Courier Managing Editor
jmcgill@tribunecourier.com

DRAFFENVILLE – What lies ahead in 2008 for Marshall County baseball is unknown. What is known is that the Marshals have positioned themselves for postseason success.

Last Tuesday, MCHS completed its undefeated run through the 4th District with a 3-0 win over Calloway County. The victory gives the Marshals a first-round bye in the district tournament and an automatic berth in the 1st Region Tournament.

“It’s a load off our shoulders,” MCHS head coach Don Bock said of clinching the district. “We know we’ve got a spot in the region, and we’ll be sitting back waiting for somebody to come to us. We haven’t had a lot of time off and we might be getting a little stale, so we’ll take some time now.”

The Marshals held their own fate and performed well, with Cody Forsythe pitching a complete game one-hitter and Daniel Riley accounting for all the offense with a pair of home runs.

Facing top Laker pitcher Josh Reynolds, the Marshals put a runner on base in each inning, but Riley was the only one to do any damage. He hit a solo shot that fell just in front of the scoreboard over the left field fence in the second inning, and with Cameron Kimball aboard in the sixth, he sent one over the 345-foot sign in right center.

“On the first one, [Reynolds] hung a slider,” Riley said. “The second one was a fastball right down the middle and I just sent it the other way.”

Riley, who has also produced on the mound for the Marshals, said it helps the team to be able to rely on the kind of pitching performance Forsythe had against Calloway.

“Every day, we know we’re going to have a shot at winning because of our pitching,” Riley said.
Forsythe said he had one thing on his mind entering the game.

“I just wanted to win so we could get in the region tournament,” Forsythe said. “We just need to stay hot and keep hitting the ball.”

Bock said Forsythe has emerged as the Marshals’ top starter.

“He’s thrown as well or better than anybody else,” Bock said. “Our pitching is starting to develop. We started out wondering if we’d have a No. 1, but it looks like we have one now.”

Riley’s performance at the plate continued a curious trend for the Marshals – hitters in the No. 8 slot in the lineup sometimes seem more dangerous than those in the middle. Brantley Barrett and Tyler Johnson also found success there.

“[Riley] bats cleanup and fifth for us a lot, but he’d been struggling, so we put him in the eight spot so he could see some good pitches,” Bock said. “It’s what we call our double-cleanup spot. It’s been doing as much as the cleanup spot.”

Marshall County 3, Calloway County 0
Last Tuesday @ Draffenville

Calloway County 000 000 0 – 0 1 2
Marshall County 010 002 x – 3 7 1

TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Forsythe –
7 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 9 K,
4 BB
Hitting MCHS: Riley – 3-3,
2 HR, 3 RBI
G. Sullivan – 2-4,
double

LACENTER – The Marshals suffered a bit of a letdown Thursday in a 4-1 loss at Ballard Memorial.
Riley continued his solid hitting, knocking another home run for the Marshals’ only score.

Ballard Memorial 4,
Marshall County 1
Thursday @ LaCenter

Marshall County 001 000 0 – 1 7 4
Ballard Memorial 101 002 x – 4 9 0

TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Charlton –
5 IP
Riley – 2 IP
Hitting MCHS: Riley –
solo HR
York – double

DRAFFENVILLE – The Marshals shut down an injury-stricken Christian County team Monday at Mike Miller Park, winning 7-0.

Forsythe picked up the win in six innings of work, and Seth Waldrop struck out two of three batters faced in the seventh.

Tyler O’Daniel went 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs for the Marshals.

MCHS plays Tuesday at St. Mary before a return match with Christian County on Thursday in Hopkinsville. The Marshals then will play in the Franklin-Simpson Wood Bat Tournament this weekend, facing Madisonville-North Hopkins on Friday and Warren East and Apollo on Saturday. MCHS will host Livingston Central on Monday.

Marshall County 7, Christian County 0
Monday @ Draffenville

Christian County 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Marshall County 241 000 x – 7 13 0

TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Forsythe –
6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K
Waldrop – 1 IP, 2 K
Hitting MCHS: O’Daniel –
2-4, 3 RBI