Track & Field

Tigers Capture 57th District Championship

Connor Fugate was unstoppable in the Tigers 57th District championship. The future UK Wildcat lived up to the hype, pitching a shutout for a 3-0 victory and a district title over cross-town rival Johnson Central. In fact, he was nearly perfect giving up just one hit and one walk, while striking out 16 in his seven innings on the mound

It looked like the Golden Eagles were going to start off strong with Brock Butcher hitting a single in the top of the first. He would get caught stealing second base however and the Golden Eagles would go three-and-out to start off.

Paintsville put up two runs in the bottom of the second inning when Harris Phelps and Jonah Porter batted runs in making it 2-0. Anderson Lauffer singled on a line drive in the bottom of the third to score Grayson Peters making it 3-0.

The Golden Eagles followed up in the top of the fourth frame with a quick three and out and couldn’t get any momentum going. The hit by Butcher in the top of the first was the lone hit for the Golden Eagles.

Meanwhile, Peyton Adams led the charge for the Tigers at the plate with two hits in three plate appearances. Seven different Tigers got on base with a hit in the game.

Cameron Kelsey got the start on the mound for Johnson Central and went three innings giving up six hits and three runs, while walking two. Brock Butcher finished out the last three innings and gave up just two hits with one walk and striking out five.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/tigers-capture-57th-district-championship/article_1672bd34-f9a6-11ed-a569-3b3e65b81d5f.html

ByMikeMuncy SportsWriter

Lady Tigers claim All “A” title

Paintsville picked the right time to get hot.

Heading into the 15th Region All “A” Classic Paintsville had collected just one win on the season.

After the dust has settled, Paintsville dominated opponents, winning three straight en route to a 15th Region All “A” Classic title.

The Lady Tigers allowed just two runs combined in those three games, outscoring their challengers 33-2.

Happy Birthday, Maggie: The Lady Tigers kicked off the 15th Region All “A” Classic action in style, snapping a six-game losing streak at the right time picking up a dominating 6-0 win over Martin County.

One of those runs came courtesy of Maggie Music, who had a lot to be happy about on her birthday as she celebrated her first career home run in the top of the third inning.

The Lady Tigers were already up 2-0 and by the end of the inning were up 4-0. Two more runs were tacked on in the top of the sixth to give Paintsville a final of 6-0 to move on to the next round, facing off against East Ridge.

The perfect game: You don’t see it too often, a perfect game.

Laney Bledsoe – with some help from her team — achieved just that against East Ridge in the 15th Region All “A” Classic.

Paintsville and Bledsoe was nothing short of dominate at the plate, too.

She collected four hits with four runs and two RBIs in the 15-0 mercy-rule win.

A nine run third inning was the highlight of the night for the Lady Tigers as they cruised past East Ridge.

Ashley Wells scored three runs on three hits in the win. Chessa Collins and Destiny Trimble each had two runs in the win. Collins added in three RBIs as did Maggie Music along with Wells.

No doubt: Paintsville removed all doubt in the win over Pikeville in the 15th Region All “A” finals.

It was just as lopsided as the final score showed with the Lady Tigers knocking off Pikeville 12-2.

Pikeville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but by the bottom of the third inning it was all over.

The Lady Panthers had jumped ahead 2-0 before the Lady Tigers rattled off four straight runs to steal the lead away and never looked back.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw Paintsville repeat their earlier performance, picking up four runs as Kelsey Nusspickel, Madisson Trimble, Destiny Trimble and Laney Bledsoe all scored runs to make it 8-2.

It was all Paintsville for the rest of the game as they carried their lead to a 12-2 victory, winning the 2023 15th Region All “A” Classic.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/lady-tigers-claim-all-a-title/article_b3767454-d8a4-11ed-808c-0bc1545dcd3c.html
By Mike Muncy Sports Writer

Jonah Porter signs with Centre

Jonah Porter will continue his career on the baseball diamond at the next level for Centre College.

Porter recently signed his letter of intent with the college surrounded by his family.

Porter has a career batting average of .375 with 84 hits, 73 RBIs, 19 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 34 stolen bases.

Academically Porter boasts a 4.55 GPA and has scored a 28 on the ACT.

“One of the most selfless kids I’ve been around,” Coach Thomas McCormick said. “He knows how I feel about him. I dread the day I don’t have him playing short stop for me. One of my favorite kids I’ve been able to coach. It’ll be hard to replace him.”

Porter was also an integral part of the Tiger football team where he averaged 45.3 receiving yards per game, scoring three touchdowns his senior season. He was also a member of the 2020 state championship winning team.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/paintsville-s-jonah-porter-signs-with-centre/article_a977187e-d3f8-11ed-88a5-67260243b37b.html
By Mike Muncy Sports Writer

Paintsville breaks ground on football field turf project

Paintsville alumni and community members gathered at the Paintsville High School football field April 11 to break ground and mark the beginning of a project to install a turf surface.

The ceremony began at 1 p.m., featuring speeches from Paintsville Superintendent David Gibson, Mayor Bill Mike Runyon and others.

“It’s something to be able to leave our school system and say you graduated from Paintsville,” Gibson said. “I would argue that it’s the highest honor we can bestow on our students. It means something. But also to be a part of a team, the Tiger family, I am honored to be a part of the Tiger family.”

Gibson noted that the new field brings new energy and excitement in anticipation of the first home game, scheduled for Aug. 18.

“Honestly, it’s humbling,” said Gibson. “There’s 130-plus years of tradition here, and the progress that we’ve made and continue to make is incredible. We have a really good board that has the foresight to look towards the future. Our tradition is rich, and it’s the excellence that we represent that is at the heart of our traditions. I’m humbled to be a part of this, and hopefully kids across the region will see the field we have and see the commitment we have academically and encourage them to become a Tiger. Go Tigers.”

The ceremony also included a time capsule, in which students and alumni were encouraged to participate, leaving something behind for future generations of Paintsville Tigers.

“This makes me feel so proud of our school system,” Runyon said. “That we’ve elected to show a lot of progress. There were a lot of people against removing the natural grass, but if you look around you, every school up and down this river is going to turf. We had two choices: we could lag behind, or move forward. We’re choosing to move forward with this new field.”

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/news/paintsville-breaks-ground-on-football-field-turf-project/article_257114b0-d8a0-11ed-bcef-7b4d47fbb79e.html
By Justin Begley Staff Writer

Paintsville Weekly Update 3/21/2023

Baseball and Softball season are already in their 2nd week of games!

Tigers baseball have won 3 straight games against Perry County Central, Breathitt County, and Lawrence County.

Tigers softball won their home opener against a tough Floyd Central team.

Upcoming Schedule:

Tuesday:
Baseball @ Ashland 6pm
Softball hosts Magoffin County 6pm
Thursday:
Baseball hosts Belfry 6pm
Softball @ Lawrence County 6pm
Friday:
Softball @ Pikeville 6pm