When the pressure turned up on Wednesday evening the Greeneville baseball team rose to occasion and picked up a 9-4 win over Science Hill.
“This is a good win, anytime we play (Science Hill) you feel that playoff atmosphere. I think that motivates our guys and its fun to see them respond to that,” Greeneville coach Andy Collins said. “When we have played so many games, as a I coach, I like seeing them get excited for a game a like this, because we are getting to the point in the season where we need that.”
With the postseason approaching in two weeks Collins Is looking for his team to hit its stride, and taking down a Class 4A program that has been in the state sectionals each of the last five years is certainly a good sign.
“We just want them to compete. Last week it was eight games in six days, now it’s six games in six days. For me it’s exciting to see them compete against the Knox Centrals and Halls and Beardens and Science Hills,” Collins said. “I think that is nothing but good for us. We’re pretty tough because of that. We both get better when we play Science Hill. We’ve lost to them and won a state championship, and they have lost to us and won a state championship. I love this series and I’d love to be able to keep it up as long as I’m here.”
On the mound Sam Thompson turned in a gutsy complete-game effort to earn the win against an offense that had scored 45 combined runs in its four previous games. Thompson did not blow the ball by the Hilltoppers and only had one strikeout, but he made it hard for the opposition to hit the ball hard. The senior did not walk anybody, and he scattered seven hits while allowing just two earned runs.
“Sam is a senior that knows how to pitch. He hit his spots and carved up a good offensive team,” Collins said. “He mixed his speed. It was probably 70-30 off speed and that was the winning recipe. Sam is jacked right now, and that is why he is my favorite player. Probably only he and I know how hard he worked to get to this point. As a freshman I had to tell him to hang in there and that it would work out. That’s what he did. He’s put in the work to become a really important player for us.”
The Hilltoppers found the first run of the evening by taking advantage of Greeneville mistakes in the top of the first inning. Carter McKinney sent Thompson’s first throw of the day into left field for a single. Next Hayden Smelser sent a potential double-play ball to the shortstop, but it was missed. McKinney scored on another potential double-play ball. This time the Devils made the out at second but the throw to first flew out of play.
In the bottom of the side Greeneville evened the score at 1-1. Maddox Bishop flew a single into right field, and Will Harmon scored him on a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Hilltoppers second unearned run crossed in the second inning as Science Hill went back in front 2-1. With two outs Darren Hill landed a line-drive double on the left-field line. After another infield error moved him up Hill went on to score on a wild pitch.
With two outs in the bottom of the second some of Greeneville’s top bats delivered its biggest hits of the day to swing the momentum in the Greene Devils’ favor.
With two out Tegan Begley launched a delivery from Levi Torbett to the deepest part of the park and slammed a double off the tall wall in straight-away center. Harmon tied the game when he blasted another double into center field. Grayson Crosby stepped into the box next and gave Greeneville the lead when he pinned a two-out double into the right-field corner.
Two-out hitting was huge for Greeneville on Wednesday and the Devils scored eight runs when facing their final out.
“Two out hitting was big time today, almost to the point that it was surprising,” Collins said. “On top of that we ran the bases really well. Those guys we count on have been doing that a lot. But not just the middle of the lineup, we had a lot of guys putting the ball in play and making something happen. I hate striking out a lot more than I like getting hits, and tonight we put it in play.”
Greeneville blew the game open in the fourth inning and scored six runs with two outs.
Bishop started things by splitting the wickets of the third baseman. Kaine Ricker immediately made that error hurt when on a hit-and-run he split the left-center gap with a double that scored Bishop.
A hit batter and a walk loaded the bases before Crosby came up with another powerful swat. He sent a line drive into left-center that scored two runs. Thompson then pulled a ball down that first-base line that took a hard bounce to avoid the man guarding the bag. As the ball rolled deep in the grass two more runs scored and Greeneville took a 9-2 lead.
In the fifth inning Science Hill’s Nate Stoots led off with a solo home run to right field. That closed the gap to 9-3, but Thompson and Greeneville’s defense were able to get out of the inning with no further damage done.
The Hilltoppers struck again in the sixth inning. Aiden Vermillion got a groundball through the left side and scored from second when Smelser put a line drive into left field.
At the plate Greeneville earned nine hits on Wednesday. Crosby was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Kaine Ricker was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Bishop was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Harmon had a double and two RBIs, and Begley had a double.
Things will not get any easier on Thursday for the Greene Devils with another Class 4A power in Oak Ridge visiting Dale Alexander Field.
