Sports Correspondent

The Breds advanced to the state finals with a 4-3 win over PRP Thursday night. Both teams came into the game with records of 31-6. On paper, the matchup appeared to be a dead heat much like 1996's state semi-finals when the squads met in Owensboro. But unlike that game, which the Breds lost in 12 hard-fought innings, Harrison County found a way to win.

Prior to the game, Breds coach Mac Whitaker had called the 1996 loss "the toughest" of his career as a head coach. That painful memory may have spurred Whitaker to call what has to be one of the gutsiest plays in state tournament history. The Breds knotted the score at three apiece in the top of the sixth. With two outs and runners on first and third Whitaker reached into his bag of tricks and called a delayed steal that worked to perfection.

PRP's catcher sophomore Troy Harp stopped a pitch in the dirt, then Jarrod Carter made a late break from first. Harp rifled the ball to shortstop Simon Auter at second. Auter turned to make the tag only to find Carter stopped midway to the bag. By the time Auter fired the ball back to Harp, pinch runner Shawn Anderson was stepping on the plate for the deciding run.

PRP's coach Bill Miller was more than a little annoyed with his team for falling for the play.

"It was just a bad play by the catcher," complained Miller. "He should have held onto the ball because you're not going to throw anyone out on a pitch in the dirt. No kid in a high school uniform can throw a kid out on a pitch like that."

Despite the fact that he called the play, Whitaker was as surprised as anyone when the catcher bit.

"We haven't tried that play in two or three years during the post season because we're always playing against great teams," said Whitaker. "But when the second baseman didn't come up and cut off the throw, I figured 'heck, let's go for the suicide and see if we can get it'. Over the years we've beaten them (PRP) nine out of 10 times, but winning a close game like this one is the best. When you beat PRP you've really done something. They always have great teams."

Ten out of 11 is a great record, but if he had a chance Whitaker would probably give up half those wins to get back the one that got away. During the 1996 state semifinals the Breds held a 5-2 advantage over PRP going into the seventh inning, only to let the Panthers put together a game tying rally. It took five extra innings but PRP was able to pull off the win then went on to win the title.

But this year there would be no last minute heroics to save the game for PRP. After starter Noochie Varner held the Panthers to three runs in five innings pitched, Kiley Vaughn came on in the bottom of the sixth to strike out one batter. From there, senior hurler Will Renaker slammed the door shut on PRP's title hopes, striking out the next two batters to end the inning. That's when the sky opened up and delivered a deluge that held up play for 50 minutes.

After the delay, the Breds were blanked in their top of the seventh turn at the plate. Renaker refused to give the Panthers any breathing room, striking out two of the three batters he faced and getting the third to ground out in the infield.

"When I first got out there I felt like I could put the ball anywhere Coach Herrington wanted me to," Renaker said. "Because of the rain delay, I wound up throwing more pitches in the bullpen than I did in the game. I didn't feel very good warming up the second time, but when I got back out on the mound, I felt pretty good again."

Harrison got down to PRP early when Gibson drilled a double to the fence in the bottom of the first to score Wes Miller from third.

The Breds got on the board for the first time in the top of the third. Chris Cook reached on a walk then Vaughn drilled a double. With runners on second and third, J.B. Schmidt hit a line drive deep to left field to score Cook. Renaker powered a two-base shot to the left center fence to give the Breds a 2-1 lead.

PRP added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Harrison recovered in the top of the sixth.

Kendall Withers doubled, then Renaker was issued a walk. Varner laid a perfect sacrifice bunt down third to move the runners into scoring position. Richard Dennis hit a sacrifice fly deep to center to score Withers and move courtesy runner Anderson to third. The delayed steal came on the following play giving the Breds their 4-3 winning margin.

Miller was less than generous in his assessment of Breds pitching. "They don't have the most impressive pitching," said Miller of the Breds. "But they get the job done."