The Greeneville baseball team continued its busy opening week of the season on Friday night by using the whole lineup to pull away from Daniel Boone on the way to a 11-4 win.
The Greene Devils are coming off a state championship in 2025, but with new roles to be earned throughout the lineup and pitching rotation the five-game opening week has been filled different combinations of offense and defense. Greeneville coach Andy Collins has liked how his guys have come out of the gate and is optimistic about what he is seeing early.
“It was good to see some guys get an opportunity to play. I thought we did a good job with situational hitting and putting the ball in play,” Collins said. “Tomorrow will be five games in six games, and we are still finding ourselves. We can do a lot of combinations, and we are trying to get a lot of guys opportunities early in the season.”
Going into the bottom of the second inning Greeneville found itself in a 3-0 hole, but the deficit seemed to wake up the Devils’ bats.
Maddox Bishop earned the team’s first hit of the night by sending a flare over the first baseman, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Kaine Ricker was hit by the next delivery from Boone’s Braden Gore. Silar Lewis scored him from first when he slammed a double into left field on a hit and run.
Lewis moved up a spot on and error and closed the gap to 3-2 when Jack Lister put down a sacrifice bunt.
“It was good to see the guys answer quickly, and it was something they did yesterday against Grace too. I think when you do it one time it gives you confidence, and then falling behind isn’t a big deal. They know they can come back,” Collins said.
Greeneville’s big plays carried over to defense in the top of the third inning. Boone’s Spencer Hill used a double to put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
The Devils got out of the jam by fielding a bunt and catching Tanner Orth at the dish before Grayson Crosby picked off Gore at first base for the third out.
Will Harmon then led off the bottom of the frame by hammering a solo home run over the wall in right-center to even the score at 3-3.
Harmon continued his hot start to the year by going 2-for-3 with three RBIs on Friday.
“Will has been hot, and we have been relying on him to stay hot. That hit was big for us,” Collins said.
Next up Sam Thompson reached on an error and Bishop worked a walk. Ricker slammed a groundball past the third baseman for an RBI single that gave Greeneville the lead.
Jacob Ward fired a line drive into the grass that scored Bishop, and when the throw from the outfield got away from the Trailblazers Ricker was able to score as well for a 6-3 Greeneville lead.
Jaxon Winter took over the mound in the fourth inning and sat down the first three batters he faced in order, striking out the final two.
Winter earned the win on Friday with a strong relief outing, striking out six, walking two, and allowing four hits in four innings.
“Throwing strikes was the first thing today. But (Winter) has some good movement on his ball, he’s going to miss some barrels with that,” Collins said.
Greeneville added five runs in the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 11-3.
Lister started the side by legging out an infield single. He scored from second when Crosby put down a sacrifice bunt that was dropped at first base. Harmon then plated two runs by sending a screamer over the right side of the infield.
Ricker knocked in two more runs whizzing a hot shot past the mound.
Greeneville earned 12 hits on Friday from eight different batters. Harmon was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a home run. Ricker went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Crosby went 2-for-4, and Lister went 2-for-2. Ward and Lewis each had a double.
Daniel Boone scored a final run in the top of the seventh. Orth led off with a double, and scored on a two-out error.
The Trailblazers started the night’s scoring in the top of the second inning. Orth, Hill and Gore loaded the bases on a trio of singles. The first two runs crossed when Justice Kitto sent a slow and awkward shot off the bump. Ricker fielded the ball in front of second base but he rushed the throw to first and it bounced out of play. A bases-loaded walk pushed the lead to 3-0.
