Lyon County won the All “A” state championship on Sunday, defeating the reigning champions, Owensboro Catholic, 3-2 in a rematch of last year’s title game.
The Lyons lost the 2024 championship game 7-3 to the Aces. Head Coach Ricky Baker said this year’s win is a testament to the team’s determination.
“It’s amazing how hard these guys worked and how we learned from last year and we bounced back,” Baker said.
The bounce back wasn’t easy for the Lyons, with a few “must win” games coming down to a dramatic finale. The most notable example is their sectional win over University Heights Academy, where they were down 6-0 in the bottom of the 7th, tied it up, went to 12 innings and managed to walk it off for the win.
But that’s the Lyon identity, Baker said. They are never out of the fight no matter the situation.
“Our guys don’t have any quit in them,” Baker said. “They never give up and just stay on the gas pedal until the end.”
This was seen again in the semi-final game against Beechwood High School, where a scoreless seven innings came down to a walk-off base hit from senior pitcher Brady Belt.
A similar theme in the championship game saw the first two innings scoreless. But it was the Aces who drew first blood in the top of the third.
Freshman center fielder Jaxon White bashed a home run over right field, giving the Aces a 1-0 lead. But the Lyons would have a chance to respond.
In the bottom of the third, the Lyons had three straight hits. Senior left fielder Korben Lucas led off with a single. Senior catcher Austin Spears followed with a double that brought Lucas home for the tying run. Then with Spears on third base, senior pitcher Peyton Williams bunted to bring his teammate home and take the lead. .
Now up 2-1, senior second baseman Eli Baker would beam a line drive to left field, bringing Williams across the plate for a score and securing a double. The Lyons left the third inning up 3-1.
Baker said the third inning was a display of their situational awareness, which they spend a lot of time trying to perfect.
“We work a lot at practice on knowing when to go for certain plays,” Baker said. “We saw an opportunity with Williams to grab another run with a sacrifice but he ended up making it to first and we got the run.”
Despite the action in the third inning, neither team would find another run until the seventh. The Aces had one last chance to tie it up or take the lead.
Chaos ensued, with two outs and the Aces giving everything they had to tie it up. Sophomore shortstop Jake Murphy singles on a base hit, followed by a ground ball from senior catcher Cristopher Burns.
Burns was about to be thrown out at first, but bulldozed Lyon’s first baseman Brady Belt. This physical play caused Belt to lose the ball, Murphy to run home for a score, and Burns made his way all the way to third base.
Now the Aces are down 3-2, with a runner on third and two outs. At the plate is White, who hit the home run earlier in the game. But this time it wouldn’t be a home run, but a pop fly to left field where Lucas was waiting to make the game-winning catch.
The team immediately started celebrating their redemption win and Lucas received the tournament MVP.
Lucas doesn’t put too much stock in the MVP award, saying he just wants to celebrate the championship with his team.
“It’s just an amazing feeling,” Lucas said. “To get the win with my teammates, especially as a senior it’s just unreal.”
But the season is not yet over, the district tournament is next on the list for the Lyons. Baker wants his team to celebrate the achievement but be read to dial back in.
“We’re going to cherish this one, we’re going to get back and relax a little bit, then we’ve got to change gears and get ready for district play.”
The Lyons move to 12-5 on the season and secure a 9th place ranking in the state of Kentucky.
Their next game will be April 29, against the 7th best team in Kentucky, McCracken County. The first pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.
