Offensive woes continue vs. Oakland-Pioneers go hitless in second game
Another series with a Murfreesboro squad resulted in another pair of District 7-AAA losses for the Pioneer baseball team this week.
Taking on Oakland at home on Tuesday and on the road Wednesday night, the Pioneers’ anemic offense continued to cause problems, as they managed just three hits and no runs in the two-game set, falling 3-0 in the opening game and 10-0 Wednesday as the Patriots’ Cody Barrett pitched a six-inning no-hitter.
The losses dropped the Pioneers to 3-7 on the year and 0-4 in league play, while Oakland improved to 9-3 overall and claimed a share of the league lead by upping its district mark to 3-1. The Patriots are now tied with Blackman, Cookeville and Siegel atop the district standings.
Facing southpaw Brett Wilson Tuesday at Ramsey Field, Warren County sent senior ace Josh Mullins to the mound, and battled through five scoreless innings before an untimely error resulted in three unearned Patriot runs.
With two out and Jarrod Hargis on first after a bunt single, the Pioneers looked to have the runner picked off, but a throw to second by Mark Harvey went into left field, allowing the inning to stay alive.
Scott Ward, who was at the plate when the error occurred, eventually singled to right-center, plating Hargis, and Cheshire Rigler followed with a base hit of his own, setting the stage for a two-run double to left by catcher Colby Fisher.
The Pioneers looked poised to answer in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with no one out thanks to a Kyle Mullican single, an error on a Casey Talbert grounder and a walk to Clint Newman.
But Justin Bouldin’s soft liner up the middle, which looked to be caught by Wilson, glanced off his glove and fell behind the mound. Wilson quickly retrieved the ball and fired to Fisher, forcing out Mullican, and Fisher relayed to third, retiring Talbert. Darrid Wells struck out swinging, ending the Pioneer threat.
In the seventh Dakota Taylor reached via a walk and Zach Fisher followed with a single, but leadoff man Lane McCoy grounded to Wilson, beginning a 1-6-3 double play which ended the game.
Mullican, Wells and Fisher had the Pioneers’ only hits against Wilson, who struck out seven batters. Mullins fanned eight, walked two and gave up six hits.
While Tuesday’s game was not without its share of drama, Wednesday’s contest was somewhat anticlimactic, as the Pioneers failed to manage a hit and only had five baserunners on the night.
The Patriots scored their first run in the opening inning, when Tennyson Dodd doubled home Seth McConnell. They went on to add six more in the third, as Taylor hit a pair batters, gave up three walks, a two-run error on a grounder by Seth McConnell, a two-run single from Rigler and RBI singles from Scott Ward and Hargis, who had been plunked by a pitch to start the 10-batter frame.
Andy Southard came on in relief, giving up a pair of runs in the fifth when Phillip Parsley singled up the middle, and Lou Christian came on to work the sixth, surrendering the game-ending run when Hargis’ grounder to third was thrown away, allowing Oakland’s 10th run to come home.
Ward finished 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Patriots’ charge, while six other members of the Oakland lineup had base hits.
The Pioneers began play in the annual Warrior Classic Thursday, taking on Springfield.