PADUCAH — Ironically, it may have been a loss last year that helped Murray High most in its eventual journey to a 4th District baseball championship.

It came in the semifinals of the Kentucky 2A Championships Sectional 1 Tournament on the Tigers’ home field against the program that had won this event every year since its inception, 2021. That team is Paducah Tilghman and, in last year’s game at Alumni Field/Cary Miller Park, the Tigers had a 6-1 lead after four innings and still were in possession of a two-run lead in the seventh, with two outs. A throwing error allowed the tying runs to score, fueling the Blue Tornado’s Houdini-like escape to an 8-6 win.

That seemed to toughen the Tigers and give them sharper focus, the same characteristics they showed in Saturday’s awaited rematch with Tilghman in the sectional title game at  historic Brooks Stadium. 

Again, the Tigers had the lead in the late innings and, again, Tilghman mounted a threat. This time, Murray High did not buckle and emerged with one incredible memory for likely its final appearance in a 2A sectional, a 4-1 win that ends Tilghman’s lifetime dominance in the event.

“We got the championship … the last year in the 2A and the best year in the 2A,” said Murray High Head Coach Sam Rushing, whose team (7-4) had to display an enormous amount of toughness to survive this game. “My players are awesome and they’re gamers. The weather was bad, everything seemed to be going against them and they’re leaving for Florida (on Sunday for an all-week tournament). They had every reason to be distracted but they are absolute gamers and they were not leaving without a win.

“A lot of times, as players and coaches, you go through processes but God’s timing is good. We learned a lot last year and, yes, (the bitter loss to Tilghman, now 7-6) was fresh but we never lived by it. We just learned from it and we just played rock solid all night.”

Once again on Saturday, the Tigers approached the bridge they were unable to cross last year, holding a late lead against Tilghman. This time, they handled the situation like veterans, with starting pitcher Avery Starks’ two-run double pushing the lead to a solid three runs in the top of the sixth. Starks finished his night on the mound with a scoreless bottom half of the inning (five hits and six strikeouts) and turned the game over to reliable Asa Munsey, who allowed a hit and a walk in the seventh but also had two big strikeouts.

The Tigers did have two defensive errors on a soggy track at Brooks and that allowed Tilghman to score its run unearned. The Tornado also had two errors and one of Murray High’s runs was not earned.

Three were earned, though, as the Tigers managed to finally solve someone who had baffled them over the years. However, this time, right-hander Brendan Mira was touched for nine hits.This was after he had only allowed one hit in three previous appearances against the Tigers, all Tilghman wins in tight games, including two scoreless and hitless innings that helped stop bleeding in last year’s comeback at Alumni.

Saturday, the Tigers took advantage of their two main scoring opportunities, opposite from earlier in the week in tight losses to St. Mary (Paducah) and Graves County.

The first was in the opening at-bat as Liam Ryan poked a two-run single that opened the scoring. The second was capped by Starks’ two-run double that very nearly was a three-run hit if not for a runner being called out at the plate.

Starks ended 2-for-3, while Kyle Crady was 2-for-4 and scored a run. On the mound, Starks and Munsey did not allow an extra base hit, keeping the Tornado from exploding for big innings.

Murray High is returning to the Kentucky All “A” Circuit next year. Its reward for winning, more than likely, its final appearance in a 2A sectional will be an April 17 state tournament date with 2023 overall state champion Whitley County in Owensboro.

Ending Saturday night was a remarkable streak for Tilghman as it had won 16 straight games in sectional play. Until Saturday, the closest score for the Tornado had been a 1-0 win over Calloway County in 2024 at Laker Field in Murray.