Today's Sports

When Tanner Yates’ mother asked him if he wanted to play baseball when he was around 3 or 4 years old, his answer was simple: “Well, yeah.”

That answer proved to be the right choice for Yates, who immediately became attached to the game.

One of the things he liked about it, especially when he was younger, was the connections he was able to make through the game.

Whenever Trae Coulter steps onto the mound, he knows that he is in control of the entire game. And in his four years as a starter for the Washington County Commander baseball team — including multiple years as the team’s ace — it’s a role he has come to embrace.

“Everybody feeds off how you’re doing,” he said, “and whenever you’re on the mound, the game’s in your hands and it’s all up to you.”

 The Washington County Commanders (18-16, 8-1) took home the 19th District championship last season, and on Monday night, they put themselves in a position to repeat that feat.

In a semifinal matchup against Bardstown, the Commanders pulled away for a lopsided 9-2 victory, clinching a spot in the district championship game and a berth in the region tournament. On Thursday, the Commanders lost to Fern Creek 5-4 in extra innings during their regular-season finale.

The Washington County Commanderettes (14-10, 6-2) had more hits and fewer errors than the Mercer County Titans (14-13) in a matchup between the two teams on Monday night, but they couldn’t pull out a win in a game that went down to the wire, losing 6-5.

Monday night’s matchup quickly transformed from a defensive battle to an offensive outburst in the sixth inning after the Titans took a 2-0 lead after five innings.