Grissom's Palmer Ford slams a two-run homer in a three-run first inning Saturday against Central in the Pounder Classic. Grissom went on to win, 5-3, and were to play Boyd-Buchanan in the championship game Saturday night.
photo by Dennis Norwood
After recording three straight blowout wins in the Pounder Classic, Grissom was challenged Saturday afternoon by host Central at Cobble Field at Gene Lively Stadium.
The outcome, however, was the same.
Grissom, out of Huntsville, Ala., got a two-run homer from Palmer Ford in a three-run first inning, freshman left-hander Wesley Widner continued his solid pitching and the Tigers beat the Purple Pounders, 5-3.
Grissom, 4-0 in the tournament, advanced to Saturday’s championship against Boyd-Buchanan, also 4-0 in pool play.
The Bucs beat Hixson, 13-4, and Gwinette (Ga.), 10-0, to reach the title game, which was slated to start at 7 p.m.
“I was hoping we could compete with Grissom because they’re an excellent team,” Pounders coach Glen Carter said. “I knew they came in hitting a lot and score a bunch of runs and their pitching has been really good.
“We manufactured two runs in the fifth, but we could never get into what we like to do – play small-ball – because we couldn’t get anything going offensively early.”
Grissom (17-5) had averaged 14. 3 runs while beating Harmony (Fla.), Annisdale (Canada) and Silverdale in its first three tournament games. The average margin of victory was 13.3 runs in those lopsided wins.
“Central is the best team we’ve played here,” Tigers coach Cory Hamrick said. “They fought us and made it tough on us. What bothers me is we have been going through lulls a lot this season. We get three runs in the first inning by hitting the ball hard and sleepwalk through the next five with just one run.”
Central had more to do with the final Tigers run than the Tigers.
The Pounders (6-7) committed five errors in the game, but four came in the fourth inning and three were against the same Grissom player – designated hitter Austin Mann.
Central starter Dakota Fowler hit Mann with a pitch. Widner threw wildly to first trying to pick him off and Mann went to second.
Catcher Tyler Lowe’s attempted pickoff throw at second rolled into center field and Grissom’s Andrew McDaniel over-ran the ball, allowing Mann to score.
The Tigers got to Fowler in the first with their usual aggressiveness at the plate and on the base paths.
After leadoff batter Ryan Sivak flied out to right, Justin Foscue reached on third baseman Gabe Fomby’s fielding error. Ford, a junior second baseman, got a 2-2 pitch up and he blasted a towering two-run bomb over the left-field fence for a quick Grissom lead.
“It was high and I turned on it,” Ford said of his first homer this season. “It was right in my wheelhouse.”
Ironically, Ford said he hit just one home run in his sophomore year.
“I’m right on pace,” he said, breaking into a laugh.
Hamrick believes Ford is capable of producing long-balls this year.
“The running joke with Palmer is that he hits in our three-hole and he hadn’t hit a homer this year,” Hamrick said. “He got that first one today, but he’s capable of hitting seven to 10 in a year.”
Ford walked in the second, smacked a laser shot to left in the fourth that was caught by Fowler, who moved to the outfield when Will Waters came on in relief, and flied out to center in the sixth – the final inning due to the 2-hour, 15-minute time limit.
Ford said Saturday afternoon’s close game with the Pounders might prove beneficial in the championship showdown with Boyd-Buchanan.
“I think so,” he said. “We know we have to fight in every game.”
After Ford’s long homer, Josh Sears, who went 3-for-4 with a double, singled and moved to second on Chance Shawkey’s single to right. Ben Lucke walked to load the bases and Collin Wirick’s sacrifice fly to center pushed Sears across with the third run in the opening inning.
Mann doubled starting the second inning, moved to third on a passed ball. Sivak was hit by a pitch and Foscue’s sacrifice fly to center scored Mann.
Hamrick left the rest of the game up to Widner, who is now 5-0 on the season.
Fowler threw 89 pitches in his 3.1 innings of work, 37 coming in the first. Conversely, Widner had thrown only 53 pitches through six innings.
“Dakota did a tremendous job, but made one big mistake,” Carter said. “He tried to go in with that pitch to (Ford) and left it out over the plate and it went for a home run. His pitch count got way up and it was mainly because of the first inning.
“Will came in and kept it close, but we just didn’t get any offense going. We could have changed the flow of the game with a few hits. We have to be a lot more aggressive early in the game and start scoring some runs.”
Widner was much more efficient, having thrown only 53 pitches – 40 for strikes – through five innings.
“We brought him up to the varsity in the winter,” Hamrick said. “He had been throwing some tremendous BP for us. He’s a bulldog and every pitch means something to him. He loads the zone up with strikes.”
Widner went the distance and allowed just five hits, two by shortstop Joseph Clark, the Pounders’ ninth-place hitter. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.
Central scored its only runs in the fifth inning.
Bret Hardy reached on an error by Ford at shortstop and Scout Morgan reached on an infield hit – Widner tried to stop the one-hopper by kicking it with his foot, but the ball rolled on toward second as Morgan raced to first.
Walker Waters’ sacrifice bunt sent Hardy to third and he scored on a wild pitch.
Morgan later scored on Joseph Clark’s single to left.
In the Pounders’ seventh, Fomby reached on an error, but Will Waters grounded out and Fowler struck out. Hardy reached on another error and Widner fanned Morgan to end the game.
“I’m real happy about how our guys played and competed,” Carter said. “Now we have to be ready to play on Monday when we open a (District 6-AA) series at Red Bank on Monday. Red Bank comes to our place on Tuesday.”
LINESCORE
Grissom (Ala.) 310 100 – 511 2
Chattanooga Central 000 020 – 2 5 4
Widner and Wirick; Fowler, Wi. Walker (4) and Lowe.
2015 Pounder Classic
Pool A at Central
Central, Fort Smith, Ark., Innisdale, Ontario, Canada, Cleveland, Harmony, Fla., Grissom, Ala.
Pool B at Hixson
Boyd-Buchanan, Sale Creek, Gwinette Barons, Ga., Hixson, Silverdale
Wednesday
Central 6, Harmony (Fla.) 2
Thursday
At Central
Fort Smith (Ark.) 2, Central 0
Boyd-Buchanan 8, Cleveland 3
Grissom (Ala.) 10, Harmony (Fla.) 0
At Hixson
Hixson 11, Gwinette Christian (Ga.) 2
Gwinette Christian (Ga.) 12, Sale Creek 0
Silverdale 5, Innisdale (Canada) 1
Friday
At Central
Fort Smith 18, Innisdale 2
Fort Smith 13, Cleveland 11
At Hixson
Cleveland vs. Hixson, ppd.
Boyd-Buchanan 13, Sale Creek 2
Grissom 15, Innisdale 0
At Silverdale
Grissom 18, Silverdale 3
Saturday
At Central
Central 12, Innisdale (Canada) 1
Cleveland 10, Harmony (Fla.) 0
Grissom (Ala.) 5, Central 2
Southside (Ark.) vs. Harmony (Fla.), 4:45 p.m.
Championship game, 7 p.m.
At Hixson
Hixson 6, Sale Creek 5
Boyd-Buchanan 13, Hixson 4
Boyd-Buchanan 10, Gwinette (Ga.) 0
Cleveland vs. Hixson, 4:45 p.m.
Saturday at Silverdale
Gwinette 7, Silverdale 2
Silverdale 7, Sale Creek 1
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)
Austin Mann of Grissom slides into second base with a double ahead of throw from the outfield. Mann scored twice in the Tigers' 5-2 win over Central in the Pounder Classic.
photo by Dennis Norwood