CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Nobody could have seen it coming.
But after Bradley Central shellacked injury-plagued East Hamilton, 17-2, in a District 5-3A high school baseball game at the Toby McKenzie Baseball Complex on Monday, the Hurricanes sure felt the pain of the embarrassing game, cut short to 4 ½ innings due to the TSSAA mercy rule.
“I sure didn’t expect this,” said Bradley Central coach Travis Adams said, his squad now 10-2 overall and 5-0 in district action. “This was another district game and I was expecting a real dog fight.”
Well, that never developed as the Bears jumped on the Hurricanes with six runs in the first two innings and then put up 11 runs in a seven-hit fourth inning.
What could East Hamilton coach Steve Garland say about the one-sided slugfest?
“You say credit to Bradley,” he said. “They did everything you’re supposed to do. They attacked the game on the mound; they attacked the game at the plate; they attacked the game on the bases. Bradley did a great job.”
Bradley Central pitching ace Brandon Thompson (3-0) limited East Hamilton to five hits, two by center fielder Garett Stone. He struck out 11 – six through three innings – and walked two. Thompson’s ERA is now 1.65.
The hard-throwing right-hander helped his own cause by leading the Bears’ 13-hit attack with four straight hits – three singles and a two-run double in the Bears’ big inning. Thompson’s courtesy runner, Pete Williams, scored twice.
“I was focused on the mound,” said Thompson, who has 30 strikeouts and just five walks on the season. “Even with the lead, I was concentrating on throwing strikes and getting outs. As for hitting, I feel pretty good at the plate. I’m batting .640 (16 for 25) right now.”
Thompson was dominant on the mound most of the game, save the Hurricanes’ two-run third inning.
Center fielder Garett Stone had two hits, including a run-scoring triple in the third inning, and Lee Hester doubled in Stone with the second Hurricanes run.
Other than that, Thompson was stingy with hits. Stone singled in the first inning and Brandon DelValle led off the fourth with a single up the middle.
After Stone’s early hit, Thompson hit East Hamilton’s Lee Hester, although Adams argued vociferously, but without success that Hester swung at the pitch. Thompson whiffed Jordan Gorman to end the inning.
Following DelValle’s hit in the fourth, Thompson struck out Garrett Owen and Kyle Carpenter – DelValle was thrown out trying to steal second for an inning-ending double play.
“Typically, Brandon is in the (strike) zone, he can change speeds on people and you have to honor his fastball because he throws it hard enough,” Adams said. “He’s a tempo-setter when he goes out there because he’s in the zone and the defense is going to be ready.
“These guys play good behind good pitching. That guy’s out there pitching his guts out, you better be making plays behind him.”
Monday marked the fifth time in 12 games the Bears have put up double-digit run production. The 17 runs are a season-high, but Bradley scored 15 in a shutout against Loudon; 12 at McMinn Central; 11 in a season-opening, eight-run win at Walker Valley and 10 in a shutout against the Mustangs the following day at Bradley.
“We’ve been competitive in every game and our record shows that,” Adams said. “Our team competes and that’s what I like about the guys. From top to bottom we’re competitive and expectations don’t change even though the lineups may change.”
In addition to Thompson’s four-hit performance, the Bears’ No. 3 hitter Dylan Standifer, a freshman, went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Second baseman Hunter James was 2 for 4, matched Standifer’s three RBIs and scored once in the 11-run outburst that saw Garland use five pitchers before stopping the scoring parade.
All but one Bradley player in the starting lineup had at least one hit and the Bears took advantage of any and all mistakes committed by the Hurricanes, including four errors.
“We can’t let one mistake lead to two or two mistakes lead to three,” said Garland, who took the Hurricanes to the district tournament title, a runner-up finish to Soddy-Daisy in the Region 3-3A tourney and a state tournament berth in 2015. “We have to gain mental toughness and be accountable.”
Garland would also like to get his team healthy. Ten different players have missed playing time so far and star pitcher Nick Woods was relegated to a designated hitter’s role Monday due to right elbow problems.
In the Bears’ three-run first, Standifer reached on a throwing error, moved to second and third on a wild pitch and passed ball and scored when Kylar Lynn struck out and reached on a passed ball. Jeremiah Sims followed with a run-scoring single.
Standifer highlighted the Bears’ three-run second with a two-run single Thompson followed with a RBI hit up the middle.
In the chaotic fourth when Bradley banged out seven hits, six of which accounted for 10 runs and an 11th scored on a wild pitch.
Gunnar Norwood had a RBI-single.
James collected a two-run single and capped the uprising with another run-scoring hit.
Standifer’s single drove in a run.
Lynn had a two-run single.
Thompson laced a two-run double and Charlie Hammonds, who was hit by a pitch, went to third on Thompson’s double and came home on a wild pitch.
The Bears sent 16 batters to the plate in the inning.
“I know East Hamilton has some people hurt and that can’t help them,” Adams said. “But I told our guys the beauty of baseball is that the ball might bounce East Hamilton’s way (Tuesday afternoon at the Hurricanes’ home field) and it could be a totally different game. We can’t roll the ball out there and think this is going to happen again.”
The Hurricanes fell to 4-6 overall and 1-4 in the district.
In other district games, Soddy-Daisy whipped Walker Valley, 12-4, and Cleveland defeated McMinn County 11-6.
Walker Valley was playing its first game since player suspensions depleted coach Joe Shamblin's squad.
Boxscore
East Hamilton 002 00 – 2 5 4
Bradley Central 330 (11)x – 17 13 0
Watters, Waters (4), Gorman (4), Quinlan (4), Price (4) and Owen, Campbell 4; Thompson and Lynn.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)