Soddy-Daisy Rallies, Holds Off Mustangs, 5-4

Soddy-Daisy, which had pummeled four straight foes to open the season, had to scratch and claw to post its fifth win Monday night.

The Trojans (5-0, 2-0) took advantage of three errors to score four unearned runs in the fifth inning and held on for a 5-4 District 5-AAA baseball victory over visiting Walker Valley.

“I’ll be honest,” Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley said. “For the first four innings Walker Valley wanted it more than we did. I don’t know they didn’t want it more even when we took the lead.

My challenge to the guys was not about stringing hits together. I wanted to see their will to win.”

Grant Cordell had a two-out, run-scoring-run single in the big inning and two runs scored on a pair of throwing errors by Mustangs catcher Brian Oliver.

Walker Valley coach Joe Shamblin hopes it was a learning experience for his Mustangs (2-2, 0-1).

“If we come up with a big hit or make a routine play, that probably would have saved us a run or two and could have been the difference in the ballgame,” he said. “We’re going to have to learn how to win, just like we did late last season.”

Soddy-Daisy’s Andy Wright, who has signed a baseball scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University, pitched three strong innings – he struck out 11, including seven in a row in one stretch – before running into trouble in the fourth when he gave up a two-run single to Brice Gibson.

That was the only Walker Valley hit off Wright. The Mustangs managed only one other hit – a clutch one-out, run-scoring single up the middle off Trojans reliever Oz Perez in the seventh inning.

Wright worked five innings, allowing the one hit and three runs – two were earned. He walked three and hit two batters.

“He throws a one hitter and strikes out a ton,” Hensley said. “He ran his pitch count up there a little bit in the fourth and fifth innings.”

Wright needed only 44 pitches to get through the first three innings, with the only baserunner being Dillan Church, who was hit by a pitch with two out in the first.

After whiffing seven in a row, Wright walked Tucker Mendenhall and Church to start the fourth.

Jacob Buckner advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.  Wright struck out Grayson Rountree for the second out.

Walker Valley’s Brice Gibson hit Wright’s next pitch into right field for a two-run single. Wright struck out Zach Wilcox to end the inning.

The Mustangs, who were held to one hit in their first two games against Cumberland County (the Jets lost, 4-3, but didn’t allow a hit) and Rhea County, took advantage of two Soddy-Daisy errors in the fifth to add a third run.

Holt Spencer was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, went to second on shortstop Justin Cooke’s fielding error and scored on Cale Morgan’s misplay.

“We didn’t come out with the intensity we had in our first four games,” Wright said. “We had that one good inning and that’s the one that counted. In those first four games, we beat people pretty bad. This was a different feeling and I’m just glad we came out a winner.”

The Trojans outscored Cleveland, Grace Baptist, Central and Hixson by a combined 40-2 in winning their first four games. Hensley said his squad had 42 hits in those victories.

Walker Valley’s Wilcox, Jake Broome and Josh Bean kept the Trojans’ offense under control the entire ballgame.

Wilcox pitched the first four innings, allowing two hits and a run, that coming on Cordell’s double to left-center field.

“That was a big hit,” Hensley said. “I’m tickled to death for Grant because he’s really worked hard the last year and has stepped up. He had a good night RBI-wise.”

The Mustangs (2-2, 0-1), limited to two hits by three Trojans pitchers, added an unearned run in the fifth when Wright hit a batter and two Trojans errors led directly to Spencer scoring.

A runner interference call didn’t help the Mustangs in that inning. A bunt that moved runners to second and third was wiped off with the ruling and the runners had to go back to first and second.

“I have no comment on that,” Shamblin said. “It is what it is.”

Broome was on the mound to start the fifth, which turned into a Mustangs nightmare.

Third baseman Oz Perez grounded out. Broome walked Cale Morgan and went to third on shortstop Rountree’s error at short on a grounder hit by Tre Carter. Chandler Sulcer’s single through the left side scored Morgan and when Oliver’s throw to third trying to nail Tre Carter sliding it was off the mark and Carter strolled in with the second run.

Gavin Rogers and Wright drew two-out walks – the Trojans got four free passes in the inning – and Cordell followed with his timely RBI hit.

“I was expecting a curveball and was trying to drive it to the opposite field,” Cordell said. “I made good contact and watched it go. I got the RBI and that kind of pumped us up a little bit.”

Levi Thornton, running for Wright, scored on Oliver’s second throwing error and Bean came on and induced a Perez groundout to end the uprising.

The Trojans had two runs to work with.

As it turned out, they needed both to seal the win.

After Perez’s strong sixth, which included two strikeouts, he issued two walks opening the seventh before striking out Mendenhall. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third. Dillan Church ripped a single up the middle that scored a run to cut the Trojans’ lead to 5-4.

Elijah Haynie, who drew the second walk, was forced to hold up at third when Carter, playing center field, rifled a throw home that would have nailed Haynie at the plate.

“Dillan got that big hit there,” Shamblin said, “but unfortunately hit to the guy (Carter) who has the strongest arm in Southeast Tennessee and we couldn’t risk sending the runner.”

Church was wild pitched to second.

Soddy-Daisy was in a bind.

Maynor was ready in the bullpen.

“I said to Jamie (pitching coach Tricoglou), what do you want to do?” Hensley said. “He said, ‘You want to win or go to extra innings?’

“I said, “Well, Monday Night Raw is on and I’ve got to get home to watch it.’ He said, ‘Well, got get him.’

So, Maynor, who missed basically all of last season with a torn labrum in his hip that required surgery, jogged to the mound to face a white-knuckle situation.

Maynor one of the area’s top quarterbacks in 2014, came on and struck out two batters on 11 pitches to pick up the save.

“I loved it,” he said. “You can’t think too much in that situation. I’m a senior and that’s probably my last time coming in like that because I usually start. I haven’t done that since my freshman year, but it felt pretty good. Throw 11 pitches and be done.”

Maynor, who passed for 3,257 yards and 31 touchdowns this past season, worked the count to 3-2 on the two batters he faced and picked up a save.

After four blowouts, the Trojans managed to win a close game.

Hensley wasn’t totally pleased.

“Walker Valley put some pressure on us and we didn’t respond like we should have,” he said. “I just informed my guys what we plan on doing from here on out. Coming out like we did tonight and assuming something is not what we need to be doing.”

LINESCORE

Walker Valley                   000 210 1 – 4 2 3

Soddy-Daisy                      000 140 x – 5 5 2

Wilcox, Broome (5), Bean (5) and Oliver; Wright, Perez (6), Maynor (7) and Clift.

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)