Bearcats set state records in 58-0 win over Eminence

The common reaction to Anderson County's high school baseball win Monday night was that surely the published score was a misprint.

Anderson County 58, Eminence 0.

58-0 is a one-sided football score, but baseball? Some teams don't score 58 runs in a month.

The score was not a misprint. In fact, the final could have been worse, much worse.

The Bearcats set state records in runs scored, margin of victory and hits. The Bearcats pounded Eminence pitching for 44 hits despite the fact that Anderson coach L.W. Barnes emptied his bench early and several right-handed Bearcat hitters took swings from the left side.

The "mercy rule" came far too late, ending the game after 5 innings.

Anderson second baseman Luke Hawkins set an individual record, scoring 8 runs. His 6 hits tied a state mark held by two other players.

According to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association website, Anderson broke records set by Powell County which scored 44 runs on 35 hits in a game against Owsley County in 1986. Hawkins broke a record set by Powell's James Farmer who scored 6 runs in the same 1986 game.

Anderson scored 32 runs in the top of the first, four short of the state record established by Middlesboro against Pineville in 1984. Anderson's first inning outburst is the second-largest in state history.

"(Eminence was) a bit short-handed due to some discipline reasons, but we truly put the brakes on during the first inning," said Anderson coach L.W. Barnes. "It was the most bizarre thing I have ever witnessed in all my years in baseball."

Ryan Pike smacked 3 doubles, tied for second all time in state history, and drove in 8 runs, tied for sixth in state history. He hit twice from the left side.

While not state records, other Bearcats with an outstanding night included Jeremy Turpin, who had 5 hits and 6 rbi even though he hit twice from the left side, no. 9 hitter Trent Miller, who went 4-for-4, a career high, and Shane Mink, who belted a home run over the left field fence.

Reserve third baseman T.J. Drury smacked 3 hits a varsity best for him.

Barnes admitted he was speechless as the onslaught continued despite his efforts to not run the score up. "I really didn't know what to say," he said.

Tommie Kendall, sports editor of the Anderson News' sister paper, The Henry County Local, was at the game and confirmed that Anderson did all it could to not run the score up. "If Anderson would have kept playing like they did the eefirst 20 minutes of the game, I think it would still be going on," Kendall said in a Tuesday e-mail.

On the mound, Pike threw a complete game shutout, running his scoreless string to 12 innings, the tenth-longest string recorded by the KHSAA.

"One thing I was really proud of was the fact that we had no errors," Barnes said. The Eminence field, with dirt cutouts only around the bases, is notorious for rough play but Barnes said his team's defense was outstanding at Eminence.