Greeneville and David Crockett opened up play in the Region 1-3A Baseball Tournament Friday night looking to grab a win and take the next step in the postseason. Despite some uncharacteristic defensive miscues and the inability to get runners aboard, the Greene Devils responded late and came away with a 4-3 win at Eastman Credit Union Field at Pioneer Park.
Greeneville senior Will Harmon, who last week was named conference Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player, gave another stellar performance on the mound to pick up the win. He scattered five hits and allowed three runs, all unearned, in his seven innings of work. He struck out 10, raising his season total to 102, and did not walk any.
Harmon described his somewhat shaky start afterward.
“It took a little bit to get going tonight, but I thought by the second or third inning my pitches started working for me,” he said. Throughout the game I kept my velo and everything going and that led to success.”
Crockett’s right hander, Gabe Story drew the daunting task of trying to slow down a Greeneville offense that scored 35 runs in last week’s district tournament, and he showed that he was up to the challenge. He suffered the hard luck loss allowing four runs, only 1 earned, on five hits over his six innings of work while striking out six and walking three.
Tegan Begley led Greeneville with 2 triples in three plate appearances, while Kaine Ricker reached base twice with 2 singles. Nolan Street paced Crockett with 2 singles and Kaden Lyle picked up a double.
The Pioneers started fast in the top of the first. Lyle started the game off lining a shot back up the middle for a double. AJ Ford followed that up with a fly ball to left that was misplayed, allowing runners to end up at second and third with nobody out. Carson Bradburn gave the Pioneers the 1-0 lead, driving in Lyle with a sacrifice fly.
Ford moved up to third on a ground ball that resulted in the second out of the inning but was unable to advance when Story tapped one in front of home plate and reached on a single to keep the inning alive. Street followed with an RBI single, giving the Pioneers the 2-0 advantage before the end of the inning.
The defending state champions responded just as quick in their half of the first. Maddox Bishop reached as his fly ball was misplayed by the Pioneer infielder and advanced to second on a Ricker single. Begley promptly drove a fly ball to right center for a triple that tied the game at 2-2.
Story picked up the first out of the inning with a strike-out before Grayson Crosby’s productive rbi ground-out gave Greeneville the 3-2 lead.
The score remained that way until Crockett was able to tie it up again in the third. Lukas Easterling reached on a two out single, advanced on a wild pitch, and came around to score as Story reached on a throwing error.
Greeneville, who was only able to produce two additional baserunners since the first inning, finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Begley lifted a fly ball to left center that would have been out of most parks but had to settle for his second triple of the day. Harmon was then able to shoot a ball to the right side of the diamond and past the drawn in infielders to bring in Begley, which proved to be the eventual game winner.
Harmon knew what his job was in that situation after seeing his teammate reach third with less than two outs. “I knew that I was going to get a pitch and honestly all I needed to do was put it on play and let him come home.”
Greeneville, now 35-8 on the year, now faces off with Tennessee High at 1:00 on Saturday for the Region 1-3A title. The winner will not only claim the top spot in the region but will also have the opportunity to host the state sectional contest next week.
Begley looked forward to competing for a region title and felt like his team could take things from the semi-final game and use them is a successful way. “At the end of the day, we have a good team,” he said. “If we focus on the small stuff not making errors, making the routine plays, and our pitchers throwing strikes, things should fall into place.”
