The Chuckey-Doak baseball team struggled at the plate on Friday, held to its lowest hit total in 43, and fell 8-1 to Cocke County.
Black Knights coach Jacob Willett said, “We didn’t have our best stuff tonight, we didn’t play our best game, but come next week that doesn’t matter. It’s a new season, you’re 0-0, we have to start playing our best baseball now. So hopefully we got this one out of our way and look forward to next week.”
Gavin Crum was on the mound for Chuckey-Doak and from the on set it looked like it might be a long night for the Black Knights, Crum hit Devin Caldwell with the first pitch of the game, Caldwell stole second base and was knocked home when Talon Leas singled up the middle to give Cocke County a 1-0.
Leas stole second base and was doubled home by Ty Wines. Wines stole third base and scored on a groundout by Brody Hudson for a 3-0 lead before the Knights could get their turn at bat.
Oaklon Cameron made quick work of the Black Knight in the bottom of the first and the Fighting Cocks lead 3-0 after one inning. Cameron was tough to touch all night with nine strikeouts, three walks and just three allowed.
In the second inning Eli Ramsey singled to center then scored on a double by Leas to push the lead to 4-0.
Chuckey-Doak’s Ben Palazzo singled to right field to leadoff the bottom of the second inning. He got into scoring position on a groundout by Lynkin Cutshaw, but as caught leaning and was picked off at second to end the inning and the brief scoring threat.
Cocke County once again added another run in the third. Hudson singled to center, Jackson Watts reached on an error and Ramsey singled to score Hudson to give Cocke County a 5-0 lead midway through the third inning.
Gavin Murray came on to relieve Crum in the top of the fourth and managed to keep the Fighting Cocks off the scoreboard.
In the bottom half the Knights put two runners on base as Kiptyn Ball and Palazzo both walked, but the Knights failed to score and were behind 5-0 after four innings.
The Fighting Cocks added another run in the top of the fifth when Hudson legged out a hustle double, went to third on Watts’ bunt single and scored on an error.
Both teams went down in order in the sixth inning and the Fighting Cocks added a couple of insurance runs in the top of the seventh for an 8-0 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh.
Cameron struck out Palazzo to leadoff the bottom of the seventh and it looked as if he would pitch a two-hit shoutout, but Gavin Crum wasn’t going to have his team get shoutout at home. He sent a home-run over the fence in left-center field.
Leas had three hits and two RBI’s for the Fighting Cocks at the plate.
Palazzo and Atchison each singled while Crum had a home-run to lead the Black Knights at the plate.
