Lebanon lowers boom on Pioneers
Lebanon put a damper on Warren County?s Senior Day celebration Sunday, handing the Pioneers a 10-1 loss at Ramsey Field.
The game was the final district contest for both teams, and marked the only 7-AAA split for the Pioneers, who finished the league season at 7-7, having swept or been swept by their other six opponents.
Warren County finished as the No. 4 seed in District 7-AAA, and will face fifth-seeded Blackman Friday at Murfreesboro?s Oakland High School.
The starting time for Friday?s game is not yet set, as the tournament bracket will not be finalized until today?s district coaches meeting. But the contest is tentatively scheduled to be the first of two games at Oakland Friday, with the top-seeded Patriots taking on White County in the second game of the evening.
In Sunday?s contest, seniors Derrin Rogers and Chase Basham were recognized prior to the game, but Rogers took the eventual loss, dropping to 3-3 after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks. he faced three batters in the fifth, giving up two hits and an error before being relieved by Andy Southard, who gave up six more runs (five earned) on five hits a walk and two hit batsmen.
Lebanon had taken an early lead on a Cody Ferrell RBI groundout in the third, only to see the Pioneers tie the score in the bottom of the inning when Lane McCoy scored on a throwing error by Blue Devil pitcher Garrett Fanchier.
The Devils blew the game open in the fifth, however, scoring seven runs and sending 11 men to the plate. Ferrell, Daniel Harrison, Brent Morris, Chase Hudson, Fanchier and Drew Brockette drove in runs during the inning, giving their team an 8-1 lead.
Dexter Cross singled and scored on an error in the sixth for Lebanon, and Gabe Thompson added a one-out solo home run in the top of the seventh. In all, the Blue Devils finished with 12 hits, with seven different players driving in runs.
On the other side of the coin, the Pioneers tallied just four hits against Fanchier, who struck out 13 batters and retired Warren County in order over the game?s final three frames.
? The Pioneers concluded their regular season Monday night, traveling to Manchester and coming away with a 7-6 victory over the Red Raiders.
With the win, WCHS finished its season with a 15-18 overall record, with one-run victories over the Red Raiders marking both the opening and closing games of the spring.