Blackman bats burn Pioneers
MURFREESBORO — Blackman’s baseball team hit early and often Tuesday.
The first inning lasted 52 minutes — most of it while Blackman was batting — and the Blaze No. 2 hitter in the batting order, David Price, hit a three-run homer in the opening frame.
Blackman (11-6, 4-1 in District 7-AAA) finished with 14 hits and moved within one-half game of district leader Oakland with a 14-0 win over visiting Warren County (10-13, 3-4).
Blackman is tied for second in the district with Riverdale, a winner over White County Tuesday. The Pioneers are in fourth place, ahead of Cookeville, White County and Lebanon and 2-1/2 games behind league-leading Oakland.
The Blaze scored nine runs in the first inning Tuesday night, and junior pitcher Michael House threw a two-hit shutout.
“Coach (Doug Greene) told us to put the first run on the board,” said Price, whose homer was his fourth of the season. “He didn’t say anything about having such a big (first) inning, but just put the first run on the board. It worked out and into a big inning.”
Watkins and Price started the first off with walks, and Josh Andru knocked both in with a double. Dustin Atkin drove a run in with a sacrifice fly, and Ben McDougal had an RBI single prior to Price’s three-run blast.
“I was very pleased (with our hitting),” Greene said. ” Our guys stayed on the baseball well, and I’m especially pleased with Josh Andru and Dustin Atkin. Both had good at-bats. That’s something we needed.”
Andru had three hits, and Atkin added a hit to go with his first-inning sacrifice fly. Tommy Christianson had a pair of hits, and Watkins and Price also had two-hit games.
All the hitting aided another solid performance from House, who struck out seven in five innings.
“I just tried to come out with the same intensity as if it was a tie game,” House said of pitching with a big lead. “It all can change in one inning like it did for them. I try to always remember that.”
The two teams’ second meeting was rained out on both Wednesday and Thursday, and is scheduled to be played today at Patrick Ramsey Field. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.