Pioneer baseball slams Siegel

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Colby Killian delivers during the second inning of Tuesday night’s game against Siegel. The junior struck out eight batters and allowed just three hits in Warren County’s 8-0 win. (Rob Nunley photo)

The Pioneer baseball team pulled into third place in the District 7-AAA standings Tuesday night, rolling to an 8-0 victory over Siegel at Ramsey Field.

With the win, Warren County upped its overall mark to 8-4, and improved to 2-1 in league play. The Pioneers trail Riverdale — which hasn’t lost through four district contests — by 1-1/2 games.

Colby Killian worked a complete game on his way to his second victory of the year, firing a three-hitter at the Stars while walking one and fanning eight batters. Siegel’s Drew Kennett took the loss, allowing all eight Pioneer runs through 5-1/3 innings of work. He gave up 10 hits and two walks, threw three wild pitches and struck out four Pioneers.

Jordan Powers got the WCHS offense started in the bottom of the third, singling to center with one out. Jacob Bratcher blooped a single to center field, and Tyler Herriman grounded out to first, but when Siegel’s Tanner Dalton tried to throw out Powers at third, his attempt went into left field, bringing in the first Pioneer run.

Bratcher scored on a single from Colby Killian, giving the Pioneers a 2-0 lead, and the home team blew the game open with a five-run fourth.

Dylan Stephens, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs, opened the fourth with a single, and Coty Grissom put runners at the corners with a fielder’s choice. Stephens scored on a wild pitch, and Powers brought home Grissom with his second hit of the day, a double to deep center field.

Bratcher followed with an RBI single, scoring Powers, and came home when Herriman’s grounder to second was misplayed. Herriman moved to third on a Killian single, and scored when courtesy runner Kyle Mullican got himself into a rundown between first and second. Mullican got out of the pickle and slid safely into second, but Todd Gilley lined out to second to end the inning with the Pioneers on top 7-0.

Stephens led off the fifth with a double, moved to third on a Grissom grounder and scored on a Joshua Bratcher pinch-hit single for the Pioneers’ final run.

In addition to Stephens’ three hits, the Pioneers got two each from Jacob Bratcher, Killian and Powers. Chase Bowen had the only multi-hit game for the (2-10, 0-3 district) Stars, finishing 2-for-3, while Wesley Tobitt singled in the second for his team’s only other hit.

The Pioneers and Stars met in Murfreesboro Tuesday night to wrap up the series. Warren County will play host to the Dr Pepper Classic this week, beginning Thursday with a 4:30 game against Coffee County.