The Greeneville baseball team gave away too many free bases on Friday night, and that proved to be its undoing in an 8-3 loss to Lakeway Academy.
The Greene Devils outhit the Lions 7-6, but Lakeway took advantage of five walks, three hit batters, two errors, four bases on passed balls, four bases on wild pitches and four stolen bases to push across eight runs.
Lakeway scored the first run of the night in the second inning without earning a hit and with the ball never making out of the dirt. Ricardo Madrid reached on a walk and quickly stole second and third before scoring on a passed ball.
Greeneville answered in the bottom of the inning by scoring in similar fashion. Kaine Ricker got things going by bouncing a shot off the mound for a single. Colton Smith put him on third with a short chopper that came to rest just inside the third-base line. Ricker then scored on a passed ball before the Lions could get out of the inning.
In the third inning Lakeway moved in front 2-1, again without earning a hit. Eried Chang walked and before a ball was put in play he maneuvered around the base path on a steal, passed ball and wild pitch.
Lakeway did not earn its first hit until the fourth inning and Madrid was subsequently eliminated from the base path when Branton White picked him off at first.
In the fifth inning Diego Pinilla and Chang started the side with consecutive singles for Lakeway. A walk loaded the bases before Corban Crowe sent a chopper back to the mound. White tried to make the out at the plate, but Pinilla arrived at the dish first.
After a hit batter scored Chang, Madrid sent a groundball back up the middle, and this time it was thrown away at the dish to push the lead to 5-1. Another hit batter with the bases loaded allowed Crowe to score before the Devils ended the side with a pair of strikeouts by Aiden Freeland.
At that point Lakeway led 6-1 and had earned just three hits.
The Lions’ lead grew to 8-1 in the sixth inning. Chang walked and scored on a line drive to centerfield by Crowe. Jack Hamilton then sent an RBI Double deep into right field.
Greeneville was able to find some offense in the bottom of the sixth, started by Will Harmon who skipped a double over first base and down the right-field line.
Ricker moved him up on a groundball through the right side and Sam Thomson scored him on a groundout.
The Greene Devils final run came in the seventh inning. Jaxon Winter sent a tough ball to left side of the first baseman that was thrown away at the bag with Pinilla, the pitcher, trying to cover.
Maddox Bishop banged a double off the left field wall to push Winter across the dish, but Greeneville’s rally ended there.
Bishop, Ricker and Colton Smith all finished the day with two hits for Greeneville.
White took the loss for the Greene Devils. In 4.1 innings he struck out four, walked four, and allowed four hits.
Freeland, Alston Richards and Grayson Crosby all threw in relief.
Pinilla earned the win for the Lions. In 6.2 innings he struck out seven and walked none.
Greeneville will be back in action on Saturday with games against Knoxville Catholic and Hardin Valley in Knoxville.
