The Chuckey-Doak baseball team got its week off to the right start on Monday afternoon as it pitched, hit and played defense well on the way to 11-1 win at North Greene.
“I felt like we played good today, 11-1, we’ll take that any day. We came out a swung the bat well, and (Jake Hinkle) gave us a good game on the mound. Overall, we made some plays on defense, and we hit the ball well,” Chuckey-Doak coach Jacob Willett said.
After going down in order in the first inning Chuckey-Doak took control of the game in the second inning with a four-run side.
Randall Sauceman started the side by smacking a groundball through the left side. He moved up on a sacrifice bunt and went to third on a single by James Seidl. He scored the day’s first run on a passed ball.
Lynkin Cutshaw then slammed an RBI double into centerfield. He scored when Dom Atchison got a two-out single to fall in right field. Atchison took second on the play and then stole third. He scored the fourth run of the frame when Jake Hinkle launched a single into deep centerfield.
“That was some good two-out hitting in that inning, and one guy after another came up clutch,” Willett said. “It was a lot of hard-hit balls, and that’s always encouraging.”
In the bottom of the third inning North Greene got on the board, and closed the gap to 4-1. Wyatt Burns and Jake Duffy both walked to start the side. They both moved up on a passed ball before Isaac Gaby hit a ball to the shortstop. Burns scored on the ball, but Duffy was caught in a run down between second and third.
A quick flyout and a strikeout ended the inning before the Huskies could do further damage.
Chuckey-Doak answered with four runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-1 lead. Seidl led off the side with a walk and went to third on a failed pickoff attempt. He scored when Cutshaw hit into an error. Another error and a walk loaded the bases.
Hinkle drove in another run when he sent a hot shot past third base with the infield playing up. Kiptyn Ball added to the score with a sacrifice fly, and Copper Seay pushed the lead to 8-1 with a groundball to third base. The Huskies tried to catch Hinkle at second on the play, but he beat the throw.
The Black Knight struck again in the fifth inning to stretch the lead to 9-1. Atchison fired a missile straight back at pitcher Aidan Halley that had the lefty spinning before it settled in centerfield. The shot scored Seidl from second after he was hit by a pitch to start the side.
In the bottom of the inning North Greene put two in scoring position after Burns reached on an error and Duffy sent a single to left field. Hinkle got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
In the sixth inning Copper Seay put two runners in scoring position for the Black Knights when he sent a line drive over the outstretched glove of second baseman Jackson Britton. Seidl knocked in both runs on a groundball up the middle as Chuckey-Doak’s lead grew to 11-1.
On the mound Hinkle earned the win for Chuckey-Doak in a complete-game effort. He struck out five, walked three and allowed three hits.
“He competed, and that is what he does every time out. It doesn’t matter the day or the conditions, he’s the ultimate competitor,” Willett said. “It’s always encouraging to have his will power on the mound. He threw an excellent game today.”
At the plate Chuckey-Doak earned nine hits. Hinkle was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Seidl was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Atchison went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Cutshaw was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Halley took the loss for North Greene. In six innings he struck out one, walked three and allowed nine hits.
For North Greene’s offense Gaby and Duffy both had a double.
The regular season is winding down with district tournament action starting next week, and both teams have just a few tune ups left to prepare for their postseason pushes. Chuckey-Doak will host Cocke County on Tuesday and then host the Huskies again on Friday. North Greene will play Happy Valley Tuesday, Cosby Thursday, Chuckey-Doak Friday and Carter on Monday.
“We have to keep executing like we did today. We have to throw strikes and play clean baseball. If we can do that we can win a lot of games,” Willett said.
