Slammed by Siegel – Pioneers drop another district doubleheader
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But Tuesday night at Ramsey Field, when it stopped raining, Siegel poured on the hits needed to rally for a win in the first of what would be a two-game District 7-AAA sweep over the Pioneers.
Warren County let a 3-0 lead slip away Tuesday on the way to a 9-5, eight-inning loss, then traveled to Murfreesboro Wednesday, where the Stars held off a late rally of their own to take the series finale with a 6-2 victory.
In Wednesday?s game, Siegel went up early, getting to Pioneer starter Josh Mullins for a run in the bottom of the second, then posted four more in the third and another in the fourth. WCHS ? which dropped to 5-11 on the year and has lost 10 of its last 11 games ? scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, before Stars closer Carl Watson stopped the bleeding to nail down the sweep.
Wesley Tobitt drew a leadoff walk in the Siegel half of the second, and advanced all the way to third when Mullins? pickoff attempt went over first baseman Derrin Rogers? head. Matt McCloud followed with a sacrifice fly to center, and the Stars were on the board with an early 1-0 lead.
With one out in the third, Siegel?s Davis Pearce grounded to shortstop, but the second of two throwing errors in the inning charged to Warren County?s Chase Basham loaded the bases. Tobitt drove in a run with a grounder to second, and McCloud followed with a two-run double, later scoring himself on a double from Josh Shaffer to put Siegel ahead 5-0.
Barrett reached on a fielder?s choice in the fourth, later scoring on a Pearce single with the Stars? final run of the game.
The Pioneers, who had been held to just one hit through the game?s first six innings, started the seventh with three straight singles courtesy of Casey Talbert, Justin Bouldin and Basham. Zack Fisher grounded out to short, allowing Talbert to score, and Kyle Mullican?s shot to second was misplayed, bringing home Bouldin. Taylor fanned Clint Newman for the second out, however, and got Rogers to ground into a fielder?s choice to end the game.
Lane McCoy had the Pioneers? other hit, while Shaffer led the Stars at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance. Derek Faust pitched six innings to earn the win, giving up three hits, four walks and fanning 13 Pioneers.
Mullins lasted five innings, giving up six hits and five walks while striking out three batters before giving way to Dakota Taylor, who pitched the sixth, giving up one hit.
? In Tuesday?s game, WCHS went up 1-0 n a throwing error by Siegel pitcher Josh McKenzie, which plated McCoy, who had led off the game with a single.
A quick shower delayed the game briefly after 5-1/2 innings, but when play resumed the Pioneers padded their lead, with McCoy and Mullican coming home on a two-run double by Newman.
The Stars countered in the top of the sixth, however, taking the lead with four runs. Barrett reached on an error to start the frame, and Matt Dodrill drew a walk from Pioneer starter Rogers, who gave up an RBI double to Pearce before walking Tobitt to load the bases, then issuing a free pass to McCloud which brought in Siegel?s second run. McCauley drove in Pearce with a sac fly to center, and Shaffer was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Corey Moore, who singled home Tobitt to put the Stars ahead by one.
Siegel added another run in the top of the seventh, when McCloud singled home Barrett, but Newman forced extra innings with a two-run, two-out homer off the roof of the equipment shed behind the left-field wall.
Reliever Tyler Gilley, who had come on in the seventh and got the Pioneers out of a jam, was lit up for four runs in the Siegel half of the eighth, with a two-run single from McCloud and an RBI bunt single from McCauley doing the damage.
WCHS wouldn?t be able to put together another late rally, as reliever Nick Baldwin fanned Talbert to start the bottom of the eighth, and allowed just one hit before nailing down the victory.
Newman finished 3-for-4 to lead the Pioneers in Game 1, while Rogers took home a no-decision, working 6-1/3 innings and giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits, five walks and two hit batsmen. He struck out six batters. Gilley took the loss, with 1-2/3 innings of work. Only one of the four runs he allowed was earned, as he balanced four hits and a walk against one strikeout.
McKenzie struck out 14 batters on his way to the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks. Pearce went 3-for-5 to lead Siegel?s offensive effort.
WCHS will be in action this weekend at the Tennessee Valley Tournament, and return home Tuesday night to begin a district series with Blackman.