BY JOHNNY PAINTER
ELIZABETHTON – Fans at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark were treated to a quality performance Saturday afternoon, as Greeneville shut out Elizabethton 6-0 to capture the Region 1-3A baseball championship.
Greeneville head coach Andy Collins praised his team’s effort afterward, saying they did enough “good baseball” things to come away with the victory.
Both starting pitchers took a page out of Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax’s playbook, who once said, “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.”
Will Harmon followed that philosophy perfectly. The Greene Devil starter threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits, walking two, and striking out four.
On the other side, Elizabethton’s Bryson Rowland took the loss after being pulled in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. He surrendered two runs on no hits, issued six walks, and struck out four.
Greeneville threatened in both the second and third innings but left five runners on base — three in scoring position.
The breakthrough came in the fifth.
Jeriah Griffin drew a walk and advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt. After Carson Quillen was intentionally walked and Carson Norris was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded, prompting a pitching change.
Reliever Justin Whitehead got Maddox Bishop to hit a ground ball to short, but the Cyclones’ attempt at a double play went awry, allowing both Griffin and Quillen to score. Still hitless, the Greene Devils led 2-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, Greeneville continued to make “good adjustments” and finally broke through with the bats. Noah Murray ended the no-hit bid with a single to center, followed by a six-pitch walk from Kobe Mundy. Grayson Crosby attempted a sacrifice bunt, but the Cyclones erased the lead runner at third. Kaine Ricker then walked to load the bases again.
Following an infield pop-out, Quillen worked a patient walk to force in another run. Then, with two outs, Norris jumped on a fastball and ripped a double down the right-field line, clearing the bases and stretching the lead to 6-0.
“I saw the fastball up and I was able to drive it and get the job done,” Norris said of his key hit.
The victory marked Greeneville’s 30th win of the season — a milestone achieved only three other times in program history. More importantly, it moved them one step closer to a return trip to the Class 3A State Tournament.
“It’s important for everyone to stay focused,” Norris said. “Every pitch matters, and it’s easy to just become a spectator. You never know when your moment will come.”
Greeneville will now face Seymour in the state sectionals — a best-of-three series with a berth in the TSSAA state tournament on the line. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Pioneer Park.
Later in the evening Unicoi County beat Elizabethton 8-3 in the Region 1-3A Runner Up Game.
