Old scorebooks, part 9 — PRP’s amazing comeback 20 years ago
PrintYogi Berra’s quip that “It ain’t over till it’s over” resonated 20 years ago when Pleasure Ridge Park rallied to beat Harrison County in the state baseball semifinals, and went on to win its third consecutive state championship.
PRP was on the brink of defeat when it trailed 5-2 in the top of the seventh with two outs and nobody. Then everything went haywire for Harrison County.
PRP’s Brad Williams was hit by a pitch and Matt Jarboe walked. Troy Hilpp’s single drove in Williams to make it 5-3. Matt Fox followed with a smash to center field that was just out of the reach of Harrison County’s Paul Roberts. Fox wound up with a two-run triple that tied it 5-5.
Harrison County showed lots of grit. Despite the devastating turn of events, the Thorobreds loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t cash in, but still battled PRP five extra innings before falling.
PRP broke through for four runs in the 12th. Williams’ two-run single proved to be the game-winning hit.
The second semifinal that night at Apollo didn’t start until 11 p.m. (Eastern time). Greenup County didn’t mind staying up late as it beat Christian County 6-2.
Greenup County, led by Aaron McGlone (who would win Mr. Baseball honors that year), took a 36-1 record into the title game, but PRP edged the Musketeers 5-3 and Bill Miller’s Panthers had their third title in a row.
Harrison County, coached by Mac Whitaker, returned a good chunk of its lineup and bounced back to win the state title in 1997 and 1998.
Here’s the messy scorebook from PRP’s epic 12-inning win over Harrison County. I ran out of innings and had to ink in the 10th, 11th and 12th. I wouldn’t have had room if there had been a 13th.
ABOUT MIKE FIELDS
After working as a sports writer for 41 years, I needed a break from the daily demands and deadlines of the newspaper business. So last June I retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader after covering approximately 4,000 high school sports events in my career. Now, eight months later, I’m rested and ready for a part-time return to the game. To reintroduce myself: I was born in Pikeville, grew up in Bardstown, graduated from the University of Kentucky, worked at newspapers in Eustis, Fla., Lake City, Fla., Henderson, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before coming to Lexington in 1980. Email me at mfields@khsaa.org
Recent Fields Column Posts
- Bob Tucker retiring, leaving a lasting legacy at Somerset
- Highlands’ Sweet 16 title is ‘mountaintop’ for Listermans
- Wayne Gaunce’s heart had sweet spot for Sweet 16
- RIP, LexCath basketball coach Tommy Starns
- ‘X’ marks a special place in Alan Donhoff’s heart
- Remembering Bryan Station coach Bobby Barlow
- Remembering Bourbon County Coach Russ Day
- Maddie Scherr got early start on journey to basketball stardom
- Breckinridge County’s oh-so-sweet state title 25 years ago
- Father & sons & their LexCath basketball legacy
- Greg Buckner goes from underappreciated to KHSAA Hall of Fame
- Stan Steidel’s All ‘A’ legacy lives on and prospers
- Ashland Tomcats basketball ‘is our community’
- New coaches, old hands take reins at pressure-packed programs PRP & Scott County
- Mountain football battle hymn has championship ring(s)
- Stan Steidel’s legacy: a champion for smaller schools
- ‘Cotton’ & Corbin & Redhounds football
- Not even his dad could have predicted Justin Thomas’ rapid rise to stardom
- Ma-ma & football shaped Donnell Gordon’s character & career
- David Cornelius loved to whistle while he worked as football official
- Hall of Famer Mary Custard-Austin: “If you tell me ‘no,’ I’m going after it even harder”
- Eric Shelton says KHSAA Hall of Fame honor was a team effort
- Kelly Coleman still the ‘King’ of Kentucky high school basketball
- Surefire: Scherr-fired Ryle rolls to Girls’ Sweet Sixteen title
- Boyd County’s loss can’t dim the shine on Savannah Wheeler’s career
- Robin Harmon & Irene Moore would’ve loved to play in Rupp Arena
- Hall of Famer Kandi Brown-Parker recalls her sweetest Sweet Sixteen
- Billy Hicks: “This was my last game”
- Trinity wins state title behind humble hero David Johnson
- Twin brothers having a Jolly good time in Rupp
- CovCath’s near-miracle comeback, play-by-play
- Billy Hicks, through the eyes of his wife Betsy
- Brewers’ basketball perfection secure in history for another year
- A special basketball day for the Brannen family
- The last six unbeaten teams that got beat in the Sweet Sixteen
- Reggie Warford’s Hall of Fame credentials go beyond basketball
- Rick Bolus: still scouting, still loving it, after all these years
- Guy Strong’s remarkable life in sports: ‘I’ve done it all and seen it all.’
- Thanks to its defense, South Warren survives, beats CovCath
- Dennis a real menace as Male wins 6A state title
- Doug Preston’s winding journey to a dream destination
- In this football family, raising Cain means raising quarterbacks
- William Warfield puts positive PrepSpin on high school sports
- Paul Hornung’s winning senior year at Flaget
- Walker Buehler: the pride of Ecton Park and Henry Clay
- Hall of Famer Brian Brohm: Multi-sport athlete cover boy
- ‘Triple Threat’ Danville twins Jenna & Lara Akers ‘just like being Admirals’
- Recalling Randy Wyatt’s sprint to glory for Paducah Tilghman
- Shon Walker’s Hall of Fame game wasn’t just the long ball
- Hall of Famer Angela Payne Starnes loves teaching as much as running
- CovCath celebrates another Sweet 16® title
- It wasn’t a hero shot; it was a team being a team
- Brewers’ unbeaten Redmen have stood the test of time
- Happy (or sad) Sweet 16® anniversary for Clem Haskins
- Pikeville’s never-say-die Panthers survive 3OT thriller
- Travis Ford back in Rupp, scouting not shooting
- ‘Cool Hand’ Cooper saves Scott County
- These 5 guys played in Sweet 16®, now coaching in it
- Scott County vs. Trinity reminiscent of past first-round showdowns
- Mercer County celebrates back-to-back state titles
- RIP, Gene Rhodes, who won state titles as player and coach
- Nicholas County’s run to glory 25 years ago
- Girls’ Sweet 16 champs by regions since 1975®
- Billy Miller’s strange 90-point night in Nancy
- Christmas will have a championship ring to it for the Hellyers
- Winning football titles is a family tradition at Danville
- Boyle County & Chuck Smith a championship combo
- Reflections on Bourbon County’s championship season, 20 years later
- Record-setting QB Bill Allen ‘amazed’ at numbers that passed him by
- Allen Feldhaus Sr.’s wonderful basketball life
- RIP, Daniel Webb — Heath baseball star; major leaguer
- Justin Thomas’ elite company includes Hornung, Unseld, Cowens
- Bob White: A good guy gets a lift through a bad time
- Recalling the most remarkable comeback story in KHSAA history
- Tom Larkey ready to join football’s 300-victory club
- Sam Simpson’s long tenure at Henry Clay comes to an end
- Haywood, Hilton faced off in their football coaching debuts
- PRP reigns again as king of Kentucky baseball under Bill Miller
- High school baseball has changed a lot in 50 years. Just ask Bobby Lynch
- Geordon Blanton’s championship senior year
- Fast-pitch softball has given girls college opportunities
- Put me in, coach! I’m ready to play baseball, basketball, football
- Heflin’s success as tennis coach a net result of caring about kids
- Remembering Brent Arnold
- Gabby Karas: 12 state titles and a champion’s spirit
- Danville’s Paul Morse still tops in baseball record book
- Harrison County baseball’s unimaginable loss
- 60 years ago: UK baseball, Stoll Field, Jim Host
- Bowling Green basketball begins Purple reign
- Jake Ohmer’s legacy a winning one
- Sweet 16’s top scorers in back-to-back games
- Purples’ power: talent with experience
- Bobby Keith’s Sweet 16 legacy
- Collins basketball now has stories to tell
- The ‘Worm’ turned in most dynamic dunk in Sweet 16
- Oh, my, Ohmer goes for 41 points, 17 rebounds
- Pikeville proud: Hillard Howard
- Vogt votes for NKU over UK
- Welcome back, Bobby Flynn
- Phil Cox and his ‘Loyall’ mentor, Billy Hicks
- Richie Farmer’s ‘Sweet’ memories
- Mercer County girls win Sweet Sixteen in style
- Mercer County vs. Franklin County for girls’ state title
- Mercer County’s Seygan Robins’ long road to basketball success
- Murray coach and her husband on same basketball wavelength
- Donna Murphy’s Sweet 16 starburst
- Remembering Douglass Demons basketball
- Dynasty of dynasties: St. X swimming & diving
- R.I.P., Mike Wainscott, multi-sport coach in Lexington
- Saluting Dominic Black, state’s most decorated wrestler
- State’s top scorer has game, fame, new name
- ‘Corn’ captured best of high school sports
- Don Lane, aka Donnie Lane, sharpshooter
- Bowling Green’s swagger of success
- Cliff Hagan played for Owensboro one week, UK the next
- Kyle Moore: Mom had a mean hook shot
- Roy Bowling ushered girls’ basketball into modern era
- Fraley’s coaching career comes full circle at Powell County
- Transy’s all Bluegrass-bred basketball roster
- King of the Bluegrass still reigns as top holiday tourney
- Johnson Central celebrates first football title
- Belfry vs. Central has a (championship) ring to it
- 50th anniversary of Dayton High’s football title
- Dennis Johnson and the good ol’ days of multi-sport athletes
- Jake Johnson catches, passes John Cole, keeps state receiving record local
- Jimmie Reed: a football lifer
- Justin Thomas latest Kentuckian to cash in on PGA Tour
- Beth Bates got her foot in the door of football history
- Todd Bretz the constant in Dunbar’s soccer success
- RIP, Bobby Keith: Clay County icon; basketball genius
- Jeff McGill has helped nuture state golf tradition
- Charles Hurt: a Shelby County Rocket to remember
- Rachel Sanford: for the love of running
- Lynch East Main: once king of the hills and state
- Under Beatty, Trinity is 15-0 against Lexington teams
- Perfect match: Ron Kordes & Assumption volleyball
- My, oh, Myra; Kentucky’s only 4-time golf champ
- Jack and Joe Morris, football’s top father-son coaching duo
- ‘Granddaddy’ Rec Bowl has unmatched history
- Can McCracken County end 1st Region title drought
- Old scorebooks, part 10 — Future big-leaguers in ’94 final four
- Old scorebooks, part 9 — PRP’s amazing comeback 20 years ago
- Old scorebooks, part 8: Little ol’ Paintsville beats the big boys
- Old scorebooks, part 7: LexCath wins title with ace Michael dealing victories
- Old scorebooks, part 6 — Eddie Brooks’ homer binge
- Old scorebooks, part 5: Harrison County’s breakthrough state title
- Old scorebooks, part 4: Franklin County’s upset for the ages
- Old scorebooks, part 3: Pelphrey, Lorenzen, Smith played baseball, too
- Old scorebooks, part 2: Poynter’s hot post-season for Tates Creek in 1990
- Old scorebooks, part 1: Lafayette ace Curtis Whitney’s pitching prowess in 1992
- Greenup County’s pursuit of perfection is over, but not its pursuit of state title
- Austin Kearns part of South Lexington ‘reunion’
- PRP’s Bill Miller feels ‘blessed’ in fight against cancer
- Steve Wright steps down at Southwestern
- Is it time to end Kentucky-Indiana All-Star series?
- Hero shot for ‘Nova a personal thrill for LexCath alum
- Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis caught news of Dunbar’s title
- Dunbar celebrates long-sought title
- Lexington vs. Louisville for 7th time in finals
- Dunbar, Doss squeeze into title game
- Sweet Sixteen now a Final Four
- NewCath’s Big Ben clocking big numbers
- Grab bag of contenders in Sweet quarterfinals
- Braden Miller has a ‘Ty’ to South Laurel champs
- Fairdale’s back-to-back feat has aged well
- Sweet memories 70 years in the making
- Hollingsworth shines, Dunbar survives
- Sweet Sixteen: different kinds of bricks
- Sweet Sixteen a NewCath family tradition
- Butler flattens Flyers to claim 5th title
- Butler gets shot at record-tying 5th title
- Flyers in finals for first time in 36 years.
- Butler buzzer-beat beats E-town
- Murray rolls into state final four
- Mercer County makes final four
- Scott Hundley getting out of coaching
- Flyers escape Campbell’s upset bid
- Aces deal Harlan a repeat defeat
- Boley leads E-town past Henderson County
- Butler bounces Bowling Green
- Murray beats Manual for 28th win in a row
- Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen matchups
- Holmes ‘D’ does in the Red Devils
- Campbell County gets its first ‘Sweet’ win
- Cook leads Franklin County by Shelby Valley
- Chris Souder’s ‘best year’ of his coaching life
- Mercer County rolls by Leslie County
- Mason County ends Augusta’s run in 10th
- Boys’ Sweet Sixteen field taking shape
- Remembering kicking guru George Barber
- Creech’s 48 points lift Jenkins to region finals
- Recalling Tim Couch’s basketball glory days
- Justice latest Kentuckian to play hoops at Vandy
- Faulkner twins leaving quite a legacy at Caverna
- LexCath will miss region for only second time in 30 years
- State wrestling championship matchups
- Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists
- Daymeon Fishback’s perfect night 20 years ago
- Football coaching giant Owen Hauck dies
- Anderson Co.’s Glen Drury true to his Bearcats
