Area baseball roundup
Ads, Dawgs, Hawks all see success as season winds down
That approach has worked for the Farragut Admirals all season, and their Senior Night win over McMinn County was no different.
On Monday, April 13, the Ads overcame a sluggish start to plate 11 runs through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings en route to an 11-2 district victory over the Cherokees.
Mason Shelton led the Ads with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, as he and Braxton Tye brought home three runs apiece.
“It was good to have Mason back in the lineup,” Copeland said. “Kingsley (Lorusso) did a good job in his absence, too; then Braxton had a key at-bat for us with a two-strike hit.”
“I feel like we had pressure on them, guys in scoring position,” Copeland continued. “They just made the defensive plays, then it broke open for us.”
In the meantime, FHS got production from a clean defensive effort led by pitchers Travis Brummitt Jr. and Joey Ray. Brummitt scattered four hits and two runs with five walks and as many strikeouts, then Ray tossed 3.1 scoreless innings in relief with six strikeouts.
“They both had multiple pitches working for strikes, competing in the zone,” Copeland said. “They took some pressure off our defense and we did not make an error, which is good.”
The McMinn County match-up marked the Admirals’ fourth win in the last five games, as FHS appears to
be hitting its stride with less than 10 days left in the regular season.
Meanwhile, Hardin Valley collected three wins in its last four outings leading into its district tilt with Lenoir City on Tuesday, April 14.
Wyatt Fellers knocked two RBI, and Tyler Sowards went 3-for-3 against Chaminade Julienne (Ohio) in a 6-3 win on Thursday, April 9. HVA followed that with a 12-5 win over Boyle County (Kentucky) behind a 4-for-4 effort from Cameron Dillon.
On the Bearden schedule, the Bulldogs won two of their last three last weekend but suffered a 5-4 loss against Greeneville, the top team in the state in Class 3A, on Saturday, April 11.
The Dawgs out-hit the Green Devils 10-5 and got four strikeouts from Finn Piper but were unable to make enough plays late to close the door.
“Obviously we held our own, but it was a microcosm of our whole season,” head coach Dave Prichard said. “Just couldn’t figure out how to score. When they were presented with an opportunity, they took control and we didn’t.”
Prichard added that the team had a “come to Jesus” meeting after their 6-0 loss to Maryville. Now, he said his players feel good headed into the last two weeks of the regular season.
The same goes for the Ads, who will dip back into their district slate on Wednesday, April 15, then will face Oak Ridge next Monday and Wednesday, April 20 and 22.
