WCMS sights set on title: Middle school Pioneers still alive in tourney

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Warren County Middle School’s Brooks Majors (10) slides in with a steal of second base well ahead of the throw from Montgomery Bell Academy’s catcher during Friday night’s game. (Rob Nunley photo)

Warren County Middle School’s baseball team was still in the hunt for the Middle Tennessee Middle School Baseball State Championship Tournament heading into Saturday night’s action.

The Pioneers went into Saturday’s tilt against Smyrna Middle with a 2-1 record in pool play, and were looking to advance to today’s semifinals as the No. 2 seed from the “Blue” pool.

Today’s first semifinal contest, pitting the “Blue” winner against the “Red” pool runner-up, is set for 1:30, with the other semifinal between the “Red” winner and “Blue” runner-up to follow. The tournament championship is scheduled for approximately 6 p.m.

Warren County’s seed depended not only on defeating Smyrna Middle, but also upon the result of Saturday afternoon’s game between Montgomery Bell Academy and Siegal Middle.

Siegal defeated MBA 3-2 in eight innings, clinching the top seed out of the “Blue” pool. A win over Smyrna would give Warren County the No. 2 seed. If the Pioneers lost last night, they would have fallen into a tie with MBA and Mt. Juliet, two teams they defeated in pool play. Any ties in pool play would be broken first by the number of runs allowed, and if necessary by the number of runs scored.

After downing Mt. Juliet 9-4 to begin the tournament Thursday, the Pioneers turned in a big win on Friday night, topping MBA 15-3.

Friday’s game was close early, as MBA, the home team in the contest, tied the score at 2-2 after one inning and kept within sight at 5-3 after two.

But the Pioneers plated two runs in the third to begin to pull away, then send 13 men to the plate in the fourth, scoring eight runs on six hits after three straight walks loaded the bases to begin the frame.

Brooks Majors finished 2-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs in the win, while Josh Bratcher was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. Jevon Ramsey went 2-for-3, driving in a run and scoring twice, while Jordan Underhill scored two runs and drove another in on a 2-for-2 night at the plate.

Colby Killian, Cody Grissom, Josh Paz and Levi Bain had a hit each, with Killian and Paz each driving in two runs.

Paz worked the first three innings on the mound, allowing one earned run and two hits while fanning three batters. Bain pitched two scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits.

Heading into Saturday’s game with Smyrna Middle, the Pioneers have amassed a 21-6 record.