Bats

B-r-r-r-r-r! With the sudden return of wintry-weather conditions, it's hard to believe that the time is here to drag out the stadium cushions and folding chairs and head outdoors for spring sports. Conditions are expected to improve after this weekend with warmer temperatures being forecasted, but, warmer weather or not, it's time to get the bats a crackin'. The Bat Patriot baseball team and the Lady Patriot softball team, both under first-year coaches, will take to the diamond on Monday.

Burgin managed just four hits Monday in a 3-0 loss at Paris. Michelle Myers, Nikki Bugg, Paisley Carey and Halee Jackson each singled for Burgin (8-8). Bugg took the loss despite nine strikeouts and only two walks. Paris (5-12) got two unearned runs in the first inning off a Burgin error. "We played really well defensively after the first inning. We just could not manufacture any runs on offense," Burgin coach Matt Grimes said. "Our hitting is going to have to improve over the next two weeks if we are to be successful in the district tournament.

The Knights and Bats split a doubleheader in Minor League action Wednesday night at Lykins Park. In one game, the Knights came away with a 11-2 win and the Bats posted a 5-1 victory in the other contest. The Athletics dealt the White Sox a 12-1 loss and the Braves defeated the Giants 12-0 in the Rookie League. Minor League Knights 11, Bats 2 Bats 5, Knights 1 The Knights scored four times in the first inning and didn't look back. Evan McCoy connected on a triple and a home run. Kyle McCoy had a pair of triples and a single, while Gerald Bankes and Thomas Bankes chipped in with two hits apiece to pace the Knights.

Matt Honchel of Harrodsburg has been named to the 2012 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Honchel, a Mercer County graduate, was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-MAC selection after hitting a league-high .395 with 92 hits in 233 at-bats. He currently ranks 14th overall and first among freshman in the NCAA's national statistics rankings. He played outfield and designated hitter in his first year at Miami, where his hit total was the fourth-most in a single season at Miami, just four shy of the school record, and he struck out only one every 17.9 at-bats.

STANFORD - Lincoln County scored nine times in its final two at-bats to put away Harrodsburg 12-0 in five innings Friday. Lincoln led just 3-0 after two innings, but erupted for four runs in the bottom of the third and five in the fourth to improve to 6-10. "We started off hitting weak, and it's plagued us in our past games," Lincoln coach Pam Young said. Harrodsburg didn't get a hit in its five at-bats, and Jana Crabtree struck out 10 for the Patriots. Jenny Jones pitched the fifth for Lincoln.

Boyle County scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday to defeat Garrard County 6-5 at Danville. The host Rebels rallied after trailing 3-0 after 2 1/2 innings and 5-2 going into their last at-bat, and they scored the tying and winning runs with two outs. “I'm very proud of this team and having a no quit attitude. This is twice we have come back to win a ball game in the last seven days, and that shows the character of our young men,” Boyle coach Kyle Wynn said.

HARRODSBURG - It was still winter, to be sure, but Mercer County is already heating up. Coach Jeremy Shope is hoping the Titans truly catch fire in a few weeks, when the time will come to make a run at a third straight 12th Region title. But for now, starting the season with three straight wins has created a spark. Mercer made it three in a row Tuesday with an 11-2 victory over Garrard County at Amos Black Field. “We want to win ballgames, but I'm not necessarily concerned with wins and losses right now. I'm concerned about us improving, and I have seen it over a three-game stretch,” Shope said.

LIBERTY - When folks ask Casey County Public Library Director Jan Banks why the much-used facility has been closed for more than four months, the easy answer is storm damage. Which is true. Water from storms that had backed up above the library's main room came gushing through the ceiling on July 19, creating quite a mess along the eastern wall. More than a few books got soaked. But the real reason behind the library's extended shutdown is a bit more fantastic and spookier - bats!

This Halloween, you'll probably see all kinds of spooky decorations featuring bats, spiders and snakes. While you may not want them in your home, these animals play important roles in our ecosystem and can often help make our lives more enjoyable. There are approximately 1,200 species of bats worldwide.  About 70 percent of these bats are insectivores, which means their diet consists mainly of insects. Most of the other bat species are frugivores, meaning they eat mainly fruit.

A late-night argument between roommates ended with one facing murder charges for allegedly beating the other to death with a baseball bat. Police were called to the apartments at 149 Winn Ave. around 11:30 p.m. Monday for a domestic dispute and assault. They arrived to find 46-year-old Andrew Williamson standing behind his pickup truck in the parking lot and the body of 54-year-old Joseph Jones lying on the ground. “During questioning, Mr. Williamson said he had been in a verbal altercation,” Winchester Police Capt.

Now performing in her fifth musical, Jaclynn Smith is drawing on her previous experiences for her first leading role. “It's not as hard as I¿thought it would be,” Smith said. Community members with a wide variety of talents and experiences will be staging “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” later this month at George Rogers Clark High School. The show was organized by Kelly Estes, Winchester resident and Western Kentucky University theater program graduate. Estes wanted to stage the show at the Leeds Center for the Arts in hopes of bringing more local productions to the theater.

Matt Honchel of Harrodsburg has been named to the 2012 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Honchel, a Mercer County graduate, was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-MAC selection after hitting a league-high .395 with 92 hits in 233 at-bats. He currently ranks 14th overall and first among freshman in the NCAA's national statistics rankings. He played outfield and designated hitter in his first year at Miami, where his hit total was the fourth-most in a single season at Miami, just four shy of the school record, and he struck out only one every 17.9 at-bats.

Mercer County is getting pretty good at doing the impossible. No one expected the Titans to do what they did in last year's state baseball tournament, and few thought they could repeat as regional champions this year with a drastically different team. And how about a show of hands from those who thought they could do it when they trailed by two runs going into their last at-bat? But they believed it was possible, and they wrote one of the most dramatic endings imaginable to win their second consecutive championship.

LIBERTY - Both coaches were pleased with the way their teams swung the bat, even though they didn't get the same results. Mercer County has been looking for consistency on offense, and coach Jeremy Shope said the Titans took a step in that direction Friday as they belted 15 hits in a 12-3 victory. Casey didn't come close to approaching Mercer's hit total, but coach Greg Hammond said the Rebels also took a step forward by making more consistent contact at the plate. But the day belonged to Mercer, which was aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths and was rewarded with its fifth straight victory and its second win over Casey this season.

BEREA - A good old-fashioned pitcher's duel kept the lights burning late at Madison Southern High School Monday as Lincoln County and Union County duked it out in the Eagle Classic. After being held to just one run apiece through seven innings, both the Lincoln and Union offenses came alive in the eighth inning, plating three runs. But it wasn't until the top of the ninth that Lincoln got the edge it needed, with Tanner Leigh hitting a sacrifice fly to give the Bat Patriots a 5-4 win. Dylan King (2-for-4)