The Corbin Redhounds opened up the 13th Region Tournament with an 11-1 win over the Harlan County Black Bears on Monday at Whitley County High School.

A seven-run fifth inning sealed the win for Corbin and closed the game out.

“It’s easy to let that first moment have first game of the tournament jitters, but our guys did a good job,” Corbin coach Cody Philpot said. “They came out focused, and we started scoring on them early, then we put it away.”

Harlan County started the game with one run in the top of the first inning.

Ben Lewis tripled in the second at-bat for the Black Bears, then Cameron Neace singled on a line drive to bring home Lewis.

Corbin answered in the bottom of the first to take the lead on three runs.

Chase Estep led off with a home run over right field to put the Redhounds on the board. Ben Phillips then doubled to score Christian Gosselin, after Gosselin walked. Cole Hicks singled to keep moving Corbin’s runner around, and Cam Allen’s single brought in the third run by Phillips.

“With a team like that, you don’t want to let them hang around. They have more of a shot the more you go,” Philpot said.

Corbin’s defense then recorded a 1-2-3 with two strikeouts on the mound by Cole Hicks. Hicks pitched the five innings with six strikeouts and only three hits allowed.

“I’m happy with our guys. They kept Hicks lower on pitches,” Philpot said. “To be able to win this thing, you got to be able to do that and save some arms.”

The Hounds found another run in the second to lengthen their lead. Josh Hash walked, then Estep singled on a ground ball. Hash was ran in for the fourth run with Noah Taylor’s sacrifice fly.

Corbin recorded two more 1-2-3 innings with their solid defense, and allowed only one hit before their big seven-run fifth inning.

Hicks led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and Austin Reynolds walked before Allen singled on a bunt. Courtesy runner, Caleb VanNorstran, scored on a passed ball during Hash’s at-bat, then Hash singled scoring Allen for a 6-1 game.

Estep followed with an RBI double to left field scoring Matty Hart, and Taylor’s single ran in Hash. Estep added on another run by scoring on the throw, as well. Gosselin then scored on an error, and Hicks’ single ended the game.

Corbin collected 14 hits over Harlan County’s three with five Redhounds at multiple hits. Allen went 3-for-3 with one RBI and run, while Estep and Hicks each went three of four. Estep had two RBI and two runs and Hicks added one RBI.

Taylor and Phillips collected two hits each, and Taylor had three RBI and Phillips added two. Hash also recorded a hit and one RBI.

Caleb Carmical had the only other hit for HCHS with a single in the fifth inning.

Nease gave up seven runs on 10 hits in four innings with three strikeouts and four walks. Carmical allowed four runs on four hits with one walk as he pitched 1/3 of an inning to end the game.

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Harlan County 100 00 — 1 3 2

Corbin 310 07 — 11 14 0

Nease, Carmical (5) and Casolari; Hicks and Reynolds. W — Hicks. L — Nease (4-4).