Pioneers’ win streak continues
When you’re riding a hot streak, sometimes things just go your way.
The Pioneers battled two-time state champion Oakland blow-for-blow Monday night, before scoring a 7-6 victory on a defensive miscue in the bottom of the seventh.
Oakland (8-12, 3-3 in District 7-AAA) got the ground ball it needed to get out of a seventh-inning jam, but the attempt at a 1-6-3 double play off a Jake Mitchell grounder went awry when Michael Richardson’s throw from second was wide of first base, allowing WCHS pinch runner James Hill to score from second and give the (12-9, 5-2) Pioneers the win.
Hill was running for Glenn Rogers, who fouled off five pitches with a 1-and-2 count before lacing a single to center field. Catcher Daniel Owens followed suit with a single to left, setting the stage for the game’s dramatic finish.
“This was a great game for the fans, and a great game for the kids,” said WCHS head coach Jimmy Walker, whose squad travels to face Chattanooga Arts and Sciences today. “They hung in there and battled the whole game.
“High school baseball’s a funny game. In the big leagues you pretty much make those routine plays. But in high school you just put the ball in play and people will find a way to kick it around. Trust me, we know that. But tonight it was Oakland’s turn.”
With the game knotted at 6-6, the Patriots threatened to take the lead in their half of the seventh.
After their first two batters were retired, Oakland’s Daniel West doubled to center field and Blake Melton was hit by a pitch. But WCHS starter Ryan Vincion struck out Jake Birkofer looking to end the Patriot threat, as well as a perfect night at the plate for the Oakland left fielder, who finished 3-for-4 with a double in the first, a leadoff single in the fourth and a two-out grand slam in the fifth that brought the Pats back from a 4-2 hole to take a 6-4 lead.
“It was Ryan’s baby,” said Walker, who headed to the mound for a conference with his staff ace before Birkofer came up for his final at-bat. “He’s a senior, and a captain of the team. He was voted captain by his teammates for a reason, and he showed tonight why.
“His pitch count was up a little bit, and that was going to be his last inning. But he told me ‘I can get this guy,’ and I said ‘you’ve got it.’
“I told him if he could get out of this inning, we’d win the game in the bottom of the seventh for him, and he looked at me and said ‘I can do it.’ That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Vincion went the distance while improving to 4-1 on the season, striking out six Oakland hitters and walking just one.
Owens and Mitchell led the way from the No. 4 and 5 spots in the Pioneer order, respectively, with Owens finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored and Mitchell driving in three runs.
The Pioneers struck early in Monday’s district matchup, as Derek Kennamer led off the game with a walk and came home on a Zach Pelham triple. Rogers gave WCHS a 2-0 lead, driving in Pelham with a groundout to first.
Back-to-back singles from Dougie Birkofer and Nathan Hines helped Oakland tie the game 2-2 in the third, but a two-run double in the bottom of the frame by Mitchell gave the lead back to the home team, 4-2.
Jake Birkofer’s slam put the Patriots on top, but Warren County tied the score back at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth, when Scott Dunham walked and scored on a two-out triple from Matt Brown.
Melton (1-1) took the loss for the Patriots after coming in to work the seventh in relief of Zach Primm, who allowed seven hits while fanning eight Pioneer batters.
Primm gave up five walks in the game, and four of the Pioneers who earned a free pass eventually came around to score.
“This is a tough loss,” said OHS coach Mack Hawks. “but you can’t walk people, and you’ve got to make plays.
“(Warren County) made plays, and we had a chance to get out of it there in the seventh and send the game into extra innings. But we didn’t make the play when it counted.”
Pelham, Rogers, Mitchell, Joey Haston, Nathan Cantrell and Brown had a hit each for Warren County, while Kennamer walked twice, scoring a run each time.
“The kids are relaxed,” Walker said. “We’re having fun in the dugout, and we’re going to ride it as long as we can. In baseball you don’t want to be too high or too low, you want to ride that even keel. That’s what we want to continue to do.
“We haven’t peaked yet, but we’re on kind of a roll right now.”
Today’s game at Chattanooga’s Engel Stadium is set for 6 p.m. central time. Chattanooga Arts and Sciences is coached by former Pioneer Brandon Lowry, who will bring his squad to Ramsey Field Friday for a 4:30 tilt.