Cole Messer had a single, triple, a home run and three RBI as the Mason County Royals shutout the Augusta Panthers 15-0 in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament on Monday at Bracken County.
Augusta edged Bracken County 1-0 in the semifinal game.
Mason County had a bye in the semifinals after claiming the No. 1 seed in the district.
Mason County and Augusta both advance to the 10th Region Tournament.
Cole Messer hit a grand slam and Carter Roark threw a two-hitter while striking out 11 as the the Mason County Royals shutout the Augusta Panthers 10-0 in six innings on Tuesday in their first home game of the season.
Luke Butler had three hits and an RBI. Cray Fite drove in two runs with a double.
Delays in the renovation of their home field forced the Royals to play their first 17 games of the season on the road.
Mason County (6-12) will play Southern on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the Errin Thompson Memorial Tournament at East Jessamine.
The Mason County Royals shutout the Augusta Panthers 3-0 on Wednesday in Augusta to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the three-team district and clinch a berth in the 10th Region Tournament.
The Royals produced a run in the fourth inning. Cole Messer led off the inning with a single, Luke Butler laid down a sacricific bunt and pinch runner Marquis Bluford scored on Macen Grooms' ground out.
Mason County added two runs in the fifth inning. After back-to-back walks, Cray Fite hit an RBI double and Carter Roark drove in a run with a fielder's choice.
The Royals (5-11) will travel to Alexandria on Thursday to play the Bishop Brossart Mustangs at 5:30 p.m.
Cole Messer drove in four runs on three hits including a two-run home run, but the Mason County Royals lost to the Paintsville Tigers 11-5 on Saturday at Fleming County.
Mason County (3-9) will travel to Cynthiana on Monday to play the Harrison County Thorobreds at 5:30 p.m.
The high school baseball and softball seasons are underway.
The Mason County Royals opened the baseball season with a 12-10 loss to the Franklin County Flyers in Frankfort on Tuesday.
Cole Messer hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to give the Royals a 6-2 lead. Mason County was up 10-4 after scoring four runs in the sixth inning, but Franklin County rallied by scoring eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Royals will play at Scott on Friday.
In softball, the Mason County Lady Royals routed the Augusta Lady Panthers 16-0 in four innings on Tuesday in Augusta. Olivia Hughes went 2 for 2 with three RBI and was the winning pitcher, giving up one hit while walking one and striking out seven.
The Lady Royals were held to two hits in a 5-0 loss to the Campbell County Lady Camels on Wednesday in Claryville.
Mason County's home opener vs. Paris on Thursday is canceled. The Lady Royals are scheduled to play at Bracken County on Friday and host Elliott County on Saturday.
The Mason County Royals' remarkable postseason run came to end with a 6-0 loss to the Lexington Catholic Knights on Thursday night in the first round of the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball Tournament at Legends Field in Lexington.
Lexington Catholic scored three runs in the first inning, two runs in the second inning and one run in the sixth inning on the way to its eighth straight victory.
Mason County threatened to score in the first two innings. Connor Butler led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple, and Cole Messer and Brady Mefford hit back-to-back singles in the second inning.
After Cray Fite singled to center field in the third inning the next 13 Mason County batters were retired.
The Royals mounted one last threat with two outs in the seventh when Messer, Mefford and Micah Payne hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases, but Lexington Catholic pitcher Burkley Bounds finished off a complete game with his eighth strikeout.
Mason County starter Landon Scilley gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Mefford allowed one run on three hits in two innings. He struck out two.
The Royals had a 10-11 record following a loss to Scott County on April 26.
After a runner-up finish in the district tournament, Mason County pulled off upset wins over Harrison County, George Rogers Clark and Bourbon County for just the second region championship in program history and the first since 1994.
The Royals finished the season with a 20-16 record.
The Mason County Royals are headed to the state baseball tournament for just the second time in school history.
Mason County shutout the Bourbon County Colonels 8-0 in the championship game of the 10th Region on Friday at Bourbon County.
Mason County's other region title was in 1994.
The Royals scored two runs in the first inning. Connor Butler drew a lead off walk. Landon Scilley followed with a double. Butler scored on Cray Fite's sacrifice fly and Scilley scored on Cole Horch's ground out.
Mason County added four runs in the fourth inning. With one out, Cole Messer drew a walk. Brady Mefford and Micah Payne hit back-to-back singles and Butler cleared the bases with a triple. Scilley drove in Butler with a double.
The Royals padded the lead in the sixth inning. Scilley walked, stole second and scored on Fite's single. Pinch runner Luke Butler scored the final run on a wild pitch.
Fite pitched a complete game four-hitter for his second win in the tournament. He recorded a save in the Royals' semifinal win.
Scilley, Mefford, Fite and Connor Butler were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Mason County (20-15) will play 11th Region champion Lexington Catholic on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament at Legends Field in Lexington.
Here we go!!!!! pic.twitter.com/1b42sYaJJ5
— Mason County Schools Highlights (@MasonCoSchools) May 31, 2024
Region champs!!! pic.twitter.com/7Xs1cIJO1q
— Mason Co. Athletics (@RoyalsAth1etics) May 31, 2024
The Mason County Royals scored four runs in the first inning and defeated the George Rogers Clark Cardinals 6-3 on Thursday to advance to the championship game of the 10th Region Tournament for the first time since 1994.
Mason County's first five batters reached base in the bottom of the first inning.
Connor Butler got on base thanks to a throwing error. He went to second base on a passed ball and scored on Landon Scilley's single.
An errant throw on a pickoff attempt sent Scilley to second base. He stole third base and scored on Cray Fite's triple.
Cole Horch drove in Fite with a single and advanced to third base when Nathan Bisotti followed with a single.
Cole Messer's RBI fielder's choice plated Horch.
GRC scored a run in the third inning.
The Royals added their final two runs in the fourth inning.
Micah Payne led off the inning with a bunt single.
With one out, Scilley walked and Fite was hit by a pitch.
With two outs, Bisotti singled driving in Payne and Scilley.
The Cardinals scored a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth and had two runners in scoring position with one out in the seventh inning before Fite, pitching in relief, got a ground out and pop out to end the game.
Mason County starter Brady Mefford pitched six plus innings giving up the three runs. He struck out two and walked one while picking up his fourth win of the season.
Fite recorded his second save.
The Royals will play the Bourbon County Colonels in the championship game on Friday at 6 p.m. at Bourbon County.
The Colonels beat the Campbell County Camels 3-1 in the other semifinal game.
The Mason County Royals upset the Harrison County Thorobreds 4-3 in eight innings in the quarterfinal round of the 10th Region Tournament on Tuesday at Bourbon County.
After Harrison County scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, Mason County tied the game on Connor Butler's RBI single in the second inning.
Cole Messer drove in two runs with a double in the third inning.
The Thorobreds tied the game with two runs in the sixth inning.
Brady Mefford hit a triple in the eighth inning and scored what proved to be the winning run on Micah Payne's single to center field.
Harrison County had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but a pop out ended the game, giving the Royals their first win over the Thorobreds since 2014.
Landon Scilley and Cray Fite combined on a six-hitter.
Mason County (18-15) will play George Rogers Clark in the semifinals on Thursday at 5:30. GRC beat Scott 8-2 in the opening game of the tournament.
The Mason County Royals wrapped regular season play with an 8-1 loss to the Lewis County Lions on Thursday in Vanceburg.
With Mason County trailing 5-0, Cole Horch was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored the Royals' only run on Cole Messer's RBI single in the sixth inning.
Lewis County padded its lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on the way to snapping a four-game losing streak.
The Royals (16-14) will play the Augusta Panthers in the semifinals of the 39th District Tournament on Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Augusta.
The Mason County Lady Royals softball team and the Mason County Royals baseball team both recorded two wins today on their spring break trips.
The Lady Royals edged Franklin Monroe of Pitsburg, Ohio 3-2 and defeated Elliott County 17-9 at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Trey Cracraft's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Royals a 2-1 walk-off win over Lake Oconee Academy of Greensboro, Georgia this morning at Tampa Bay Spring Training.
Cole Messer tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Eli Porter started for the Royals and gave up one run on three hits and struck out 12 in six innings.
Cracraft pitched a perfect seventh inning and was the winning pitcher.
The Royals beat Wakefield of Arlington, Virginia 5-1 tonight. Cray Fite picked up his second win of the season.
