LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- You know when the Pleasure Ridge Park baseball team steps off the bus they aren't the Bronx Bombers. Judge them by their size, though, at your own peril. This is a team capable of ringing blows in defense of small ball down on the heads of any opponent in the state.
In the KHSAA Clark's State Baseball Tournament in Kentucky Proud Park on Friday morning, the Panthers did it to the state's No. 1-ranked team, knocking off Trinity 7-6 to advance to the program's 11th state title game.
Five walks, five hit batters, seven stolen bases, two bunt singles and one no-doubt smiling coach looking down. The late Bill Miller, Hall of Famer who led this school to six state titles before his death of cancer in 2018, would've appreciated that touch.
"You know what, if we can do anything from an X's and O's standpoint to make Coach Miller proud, that's what it was," PRP coach Brad Burns said. "He would have enjoyed that kind of game. We don't have the best talent in the state. We're not stupid. We know that. But we try to make sure we play as good a team game as we can, and it worked out today."
Catch Hank Burns hugs pitcher Joey Dudeck after PRP beat Trinity to reach the KHSAA State baseball championship game.
But don't get the ideas that these guys came out of nowhere. If they were underdogs to Trinity, they were only slight underdogs. They've been brilliant throughout their 39-3 season and came into Friday's game ranked No. 5 in the state.
They broke open a tie game with a four-run fifth inning that went like this: Hit batter, sacrifice bunt, strikeout, steal of third, hit batter, steal of second, hit batter, back-to-back walks, infield hit, single to center. Party in the South End. Ten batters went to the plate, and PRP emerged with a 6-2 lead, and Trinity wondering what had happened.
"It's just PRP baseball, man," senior catcher Hank Burns, son of coach Brad Burns, said. "That's what we do. We draw walks, we bunt, all the small ball. That's how we've always won going back to the early days of Coach Miller. You know, his presence is still with us. And he's inspired us to do all this stuff."
Brad Burns played for Miller on a PRP state championship team. The team PRP beat to get here, Lexington Catholic, is coached by Scott Downs, who was on that same team. His fingerprint remain heavily on the program.
PRP on Friday beat a Trinity team inspired by heavy hearts of its own. It wore hitting shirts with the hashtag #TROUTSTRONG in memory of coach David Troutman, who passed away less than a month ago. Trinity (38-4) didn't go down easily. Down 7-4 entering their final at-bat, they scored twice before PRP freshman Joey Dudeck regrouped to get the final out on his 120th pitch for his second state tournament complete-game victory.
Just before that, Burns gathered his players at the mound and brought back one more Bill Miller tradition to get his players smiling.
Freshman pitcher Joey Dudeck throws during a complete-game victory over Trinity to send PRP to the KHSAA State Championship game.
He told them he was going to smack third-baseman Kaleb Settle in the face, and then did. And everybody laughed.
"Coach Miller used to do that to us," Burns said. "Just to keep it loose."
Dudeck gave up 10 hits and four earned runs in seven innings, but kept competing.
"He is so mature for his age," Hank Burns said. "For somebody who is only 15, his maturity is outstanding. He's had games where he's been down, or games like this game where he's given up home runs even or a bunch of hits. But his maturity, his ability to move on his ability and just to get right back on the mound and pitch is incredible for someone his age. It's very rare."
The kid can't even drive. But he has pulled the PRP bus back into the KHSAA state championship game for the first time since Miller's last title in 2017.
Shortstop Kobie Howard had three hits, drove in a run and scored one for PRP. Settle had a pair of hits and also drove in and scored a run. Trinity got a pair of hits from Zach Floyd, including a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth that kept the Shamrocks in it after PRP scored four times in the top of the inning. Catcher Trevor Watkins went 3-for-3 with an RBI and first baseman Nolan Hosking had a pair of hits and two RBI.
For Brad Burns, bringing PRP back to the state championship stage is a rewarding feeling, but not as rewarding as the scene he saw when he looked back to see his players celebrating.
"The goal all along is to try to give them something good," Burns said. "To help them experience something great. I got to experience it years ago. It's not about us, not about our coaching staff. It's about these players and their families. And that's what we're hoping to try to help them experience."
PRP will face either No. 3 McCracken County or No. 11 Owensboro Catholic at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
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