Boyle County

MOUNT VERNON - This was the game Boyle County coach Brian Deem predicted back in the winter. He knew getting to Owensboro and the state softball tournament for the second straight year would probably mean having to meet East Jessamine at some point. “This has been a conversation we've had since February that the 12th was going to come down to East and Boyle,” Deem said. “And here we are, the 29th of May, we're going to find out who gets to go to Owensboro and who gets to go home.” The No. 12 Rebels (28-8)

MOUNT VERNON - Hannah Miniard is putting on her own personal pitching clinic at the 12th Region Tournament. A night after striking out 20 in a win over McCreary Central, the Boyle County senior struck out 13 of the 14 batters she faced in five perfect innings of relief as the Rebels trudged past Rockcastle County 8-2 in the tournament semifinals at Rockcastle. Tonight No. 12 Boyle (28-8) will face East Jessamine (26-9) for a second-straight trip to the state tournament in the 7 p.m. championship game.

Kids ruled the contests Tuesday night at the Boyle County Fair, with a pedal tractor pull, hula hoop contest, coloring contest and kids' pizza-eating contest. At the pedal tractor pull, once again emceed by Bruce Helm, who has been in charge of the event for 32 years, nine children up to 10 years of age competed in three weight classes. In Class 1 for children 30 to 45 pounds, Luke Kernodle secured first place, edging out his brother, Josh Kernodle, who earned second, and Grayson Perry, who took home third.

Our featured pets this week are Archer and Marshall. Archer is a handsome, adult cat. He's white with black spots and has a cute bobbed-tail. Archer is outgoing and friendly with people and lives in one of our “kitty condos" where he gets along fine with his feline buddies. Archer is a great fellow and is ready to bring his loving personality to his forever home.  Marshall is a darling 3½-month-old mixed-breed puppy. We're guessing that he might be part Boxer and retriever. Whatever his breeding, Marshall is a cutie.

Curry Brown went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run and drove in three runs Monday to lead No. 13 Mercer County to a 7-4 win over Boyle County in the first round of the 12th Region Tournament at Rockcastle County. The Titans (25-9), who have won the regional the last two yers, face Wayne County (26-10) in today's 5:30 p.m. semifinal. In the other semifinals, No. 18 West Jessamine will play Southwestern. West Jessamine beat Danville 7-6 Monday after building a big lead in the first three innings.

Hannah Miniard struck out 20 of the 21 batter she faced and Madison DeBord smacked a two-run home run Monday as No. 12 Boyle County blanked McCreary Central 9-0 in the first round of the 12th Region Tournament at Rockcastle County. Boyle (27-8), the defending regional champion, plays hosts Rockcastle County (8-25) in today's second semifinal. In the first semifinal at 6 p.m., Garrard County (26-13) faces East Jessamine (25-9). Garrard, runner-up to Boyle in the district tournament, beat Southwestern 7-4 Monday, while East Jessamine eliminated  Casey County 11-1.

According to Ryan Owens, president of the Boyle County Fair, “Last year was a huge success for the Boyle County Fair. Moving our dates and changing carnivals really played a major role in our achievements. Attendance was up and people really enjoyed the weather.” This year, Tim Smith, one of the stars of the Discovery Channel's television series “Moonshiners,” will make an appearance Saturday.  “People have been talking about this show for the last couple of years, and we look forward to having Tim come out to meet the people and enjoy the Boyle County Fair,” said Owens.

She's a Miss Softball candidate, a perennial All-Area performer and will play college softball at Western Kentucky. But Boyle County senior Hannah Miniard would prefer to simply play the game and deflect all the attention she's gotten since she began showing her softball prowess as an eighth-grader. “She's a very humble kid. if anything, it kind of wears on her a little bit,” Boyle coach Brian Deem said of Miniard's accolades. “And that goes with her humility she has. She's a class act.” But Miniard does acknowledge it's a big deal to be considered among the state's best players.

I find it very disturbing that inmates imprisoned at Northpoint Training Center for various reasons, are allowed to work at the Boyle County Fairgrounds with a nearby school and public park without public awareness. There is one unarmed guard for six to 10 prisoners. They are allowed to roam freely on golf carts around the grounds. Why are the inmates working instead of city and county employees or independent contractors? Once again, I find it disturbing there is no notification of this activity.

One of two local teams with designs on earning a trip to the state baseball tournament won't survive the first game of the regional. Boyle County and Mercer County will kick off the 12th Region Tournament when they meet Monday in the first of four first-round games. Pairings for the regional baseball and softball tournaments were drawn Friday in Mount Vernon, where Rockcastle County will host both tournaments on adjacent fields. Mercer will be bidding for its third consecutive baseball title, while a few yards away Boyle will try to win the softball title for the second straight year.