Baseball and softball teams in the 39th District know who they’ll have to beat in order to keep their seasons alive when the postseason rolls around, as the draw was held on Wednesday.
The district baseball tournament will begin on May 21 at Bracken County, while the softball tournament will begin the same day and be hosted by St. Patrick at the Maysville-Mason County Recreation Park.
Here’s a look at the matchups:
BASEBALL
St. Patrick vs. Augusta: The Saints and the Panthers meet in the 39th District semifinals for the first time since 2016. Augusta’s only win that season came in that game. The Panthers beat the Saints already this season, 12-7, in five innings, but St. Patrick took the next two meetings between the two in a doubleheader on Monday, 7-6 and 13-3. The first was a five inning game and the second was four innings. Augusta is currently 1-5, while St. Patrick is 3-7, also picking up a win over Covington Latin. The two are scheduled for another regular season meeting on May 10 at Augusta, before their 5 p.m. semifinal on the 21st.
Mason County vs. Bracken County: The Royals will look to make it a three-peat this season, and the Polar Bears will be the first team standing in the way of that. Mason County sat at 4-8 at the time of the draw, which included an 11-2 victory over Bracken County on April 11. Bracken County has won back-to-back games and is 6-6. The last time Bracken County beat Mason County was in the 2015 championship game, 6-4. The semifinal is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Championship: The winners from each game will be meeting for the first time this season. The championship is scheduled for May 22 at 6 p.m.
SOFTBALL
St. Patrick vs. Bracken County: After falling in the first four games this season, Bracken County reeled off nine straight wins entering the draw on Wednesday. That stretch included a doubleheader sweep of the now 2-10 Lady Saints on April 26. The Lady Bears won the first game in three innings, 17-0, and the second game in four innings, 17-2. Bracken County’s last district title came in 2015, while the Lady Saints look for their first trip to the final since 2016. The May 21 semifinal is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Mason County vs. Augusta: Like the baseball team, the Lady Royals have claimed the last two 39th District titles, and the quest for three starts against Augusta at 7 p.m. on May 21. Mason County sits at 3-16, while the Lady Panthers are 0-4. The two have not met this season and are not scheduled to play before the semifinal.
Championship: Bracken County appears the team to beat so far, having topped both St. Patrick and Mason County. The Lady Bears beat the Lady Royals in 10 innings on Tuesday, 8-7. St. Patrick will get another game with either Mason County or Augusta if they can get by Bracken County. The Lady Saints lost to Mason County on March 26 in five innings, 21-0, but have two wins over Augusta, beating them by a combined 42-15. Augusta and St. Patrick are scheduled to meet again in the regular season on May 14. Bracken County and Augusta have not met this season. The championship game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on May 22.
2018 39 DISTRICT BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
(All games at Bracken County)
Semifinals – May 21
St. Patrick vs. Augusta, 5 p.m.
Mason County vs. Bracken County, 7 p.m.
Championship – May 22
St. Patrick/Augusta winner vs. Mason County/Bracken County winner, 6 p.m.
2018 39TH DISTRICT SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
(All games at St. Patrick)
Semifinals – May 21
St. Patrick vs. Bracken County, 5 p.m.
Mason County vs. Augusta, 7 p.m.
Championship – May 22
St. Patrick/Bracken County winner vs. Mason County/Augusta winner, 6 p.m.
