Cougars Knockoff Noble
In Semifinal Action
The Cougars advanced to the championship game of the Midland Trail Conference Tournament with a 5-2 victory
over Noble at Louisville's City Park on Friday night.
Winning pitcher Tanner Bushue went 2 2/3 of an inning to pick-up the win and smoked a laser beam 3-run homer
in the first inning to lead the charge.
Bushue pitched the first inning allowing an infield single and a walk, but was able to escape the jam with
three strikeouts.
After Bushue's homer in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Gesell was called to the mound and after a scoreless
second inning, the Cougars put two more runs on the board in their next at-bat.
Gesell opened the inning with a single and after an error, a strikeout, and a pass ball, the Cougars had runners
at second and third with one out.
Justin Armstrong plated the first run with a suicide squeeze bunt that was also good for a hit and Kyle Monical
followed it up with a another squeeze bunt to score the other.
Gesell ran into trouble in the third when he loaded the bases on a single and two walks, so Bushue was
called upon again and responded by striking out the side to get out of another jam.
Ian King then went to the mound and pitched scoreless ball until the seventh when the Wildcats loaded the
bases on a pair of singles and a walk.
With one out, a double play ball to short was mishandled by the Cougar defense and two runs would score to
put Noble on the board.
Bushue was summoned to mound once again and this time induced a grounder to third that went for 5-4-3 game-ending
double play.
The Cougars will now play in the championship game on Monday at 6:45 PM against the North Clay Cardinals,
who thumped Cisne 11-1 in the other semifinal game.
