Ty HR wins it at BHS

KNOXVILLE — After Bear-den’s game Monday, April 10, against Hardin Valley Academy at BHS’s Phil Garner Park, Bulldogs coach Dave Prichard said: “If you’re a baseball fan in East Tennessee you need to come to the District (4-4A) Tournament.”

Down 2-0 after four innings, the Hawks tied the game in the fifth, then won it 3-2 in the eighth inning on designated hitter Ty Denton’s home run.

“He threw me a slider away and I swung and missed,” Denton said. “I was, like, ‘if you throw that again I gotta put a good swing on it.’ I stayed back on the slider and got my hands out front.”

“I’m proud of our guys,” HVA coach Tyler Roach said. “... They competed their butts off.”

Bearden (14-5, 4-1) broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with two runs. The first came when Owen Matthews doubled in Brady Frederick, who walked. Hudson Hoffecker then bunted Matthews to third, who scored on Aiden Tipton’s bunt.

HVA (16-1, 4-1) tied it in the fifth. Caleb Neely’s double scored Jaxon Jones, who had singled. Neely went to third when the throw back in wasn’t cut off. He then scored on Carson Hoffmeister’s grounder.

Both starting pitchers had strong outings. BHS’s Braden Suggs gave up one earned run on four hits in five innings. HVA’s Adam Baker went six (three hits, one earned run).