Soddy-Daisy Rides Perry Pitching To 4-2 Victory Against Walker Valley

Trojans Stay Perfect In District 5-3A With Seventh Straight Win

  • Monday, April 9, 2018
  • Larry Fleming

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Dylan Perry shrugged off giving up two runs in the first inning of Monday’s District 5-3A baseball showdown against Walker Valley.

Then, the senior right-hander showed the mound skills that Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley envisioned when he arrived as a freshman.

Perry stymied the Mustangs over the final six innings, scattered six hits and struck out 10, including three in the seventh, and led the Trojans to a 4-2 victory.

“I’m not going to lie, I started doubting myself out there in the first inning,” said Perry, who is 5-0 overall and 4-0 in district games. “I came into the dugout and coach Hensley and coach Tricoglou gave me a good talking and I got my mind right. I was mad, but I only let that show by the pitches I threw the rest of the game.”

Perry stranded a runner at third in the sixth inning by striking out two Mustangs batters and getting the third out on a fly ball to left field.

Hensley figured that was enough for his starter.

“I told him great job,” Hensley said. “But, he asked me if he could finish the game. I said, ‘Go talk to Trig (pitching coach Jamie Tricoglou. Trig told him to go for it. Then I said, ‘You better get the first out.’”

Perry struck out the side and needed only 13 pitches -- 10 were strikes -- to do it.

In his four district appearances, Perry has thrown 24 innings, given up four earned runs for a 1.50 ERA, yielded 16 hits, struck out 26 and walked four.

“He’s done this night after night,” Trojans left-fielder Aaron Couch said. “He got his mind right after the first inning and when he’s got his mind right he’s very good.”

Walker Valley coach Joe Shamblin had to tip his hat to Perry.

“We didn’t get the bit hits,” Shamblin said. “We didn’t even put the ball in play several times. If we don’t strikeout so much, that’s a different game, but he struck us out when he needed to.”

With the win, the Trojans are now 7-0 in district play and finish the two-game series with Walker Valley at Tom Higgins Field on Tuesday. A win there would give Soddy-Daisy a sweep of the season’s first four home-and-home series with two remaining.

The Trojans, 10-6 overall, take on Ooltewah and Bradley Central over the next two weeks to round out the district slate.

“We’re going to enjoy this one, but we’ll have our hands full (Tuesday),” Hensley said. “When we wake up in the morning, all we’ll have is potential.”

Walker Valley (9-7, 4-3) scored quickly on Jordan Munck’s RBI single and Munck later came home on a wild pitch.

Then, Perry, a Middle Tennessee State signee, allowed just six base runners the rest of the way.

Kolten Gibson singled in the second with one out, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Ethan Hailey doubled to left field. Perry stopped the threat by inducing Hunter Schoenhoff into a fly ball to center.

Perry struck out Blake Peterson and Caleb Lawhon to start the fourth and walked Logan Cross. Gibson beat out an infield hit, but Sam Clements, running for Cross, was thrown out trying for third.

Schoenhoff singled in the fifth and went to second on a wild pitch with one out and Perry fanned Kevin Bowerman and Hunter Shamblin flied out to center.

Munck reached on a high pop to shallow center when the Trojans’ defense played it into a double. Munck went to third on another wild pitch with none out. Perry whiffed Peterson and Lawhon again – Peterson went down on strikes three times in the game -- and Cross flied out to left.

In the seventh, Perry struck out Gibson, pinch-hitter Harrison Price and Schoenhoff.

“I was in some spots during the game, but the guys behind me go 100 percent when they have to,” Perry said. “I had the attitude that I was going to shut that team down by myself. This is a great start to our final three district series and I think our motivation will carry over to tomorrow’s game.”

The smooth-throwing Perry threw 96 pitches, 68 for strikes.

His three-strikeout effort in the seventh was a pure show of guts.

“This is exactly what we envisioned him doing when he walked into the door as a freshman,” Hensley said. “Perry put us on his back late in the game. I got nervous in the sixth because a popup that drops in that’s the stuff that can bite you. You can’t do that in a 3-2 game. It fell and Perry got us out of the jam.

“Anybody who has been around our program the last 10 years know that every now and then Trig will challenge that manhood a little bit. Trig and Perry had some heart-to-heart talks the rest of the game and everybody was in check. Trig handles those guys and I trust his gut because he has a feel for things.”

Kept off the scoreboard for two innings by Mustangs starter Matthew Pigg, Soddy-Daisy broke through with three runs in the third. Josh Perez had a RBI double to right field and Aaron Couch followed with a two-run double to right-center.

“It was a fastball down the middle and I attacked the ball,” Couch said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates getting on ahead of me, so hats off to them.”

The Trojans loaded the bases in the fifth, but failed to score when Spencer Keylon smacked a blue-darter that first baseman Lawhon snagged and stepped on first to double off Addison Roberts.

Noah Howard singled in the sixth, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Walker Valley reliever Jake Smith fanned Spencer Gore and Hayden Maynor to end the threat.

Jennings walked to start the seventh and moved to second on a wild pitch. With one out Couch walked and both runners advanced on stolen bases. Roberts lined out to right. Keylon drew a two-out walk and a second wild pitch allowed Jennings to score.

Linescore

Soddy-Daisy             003 000 1 – 4 5 2

Walker Valley           200 000 0 – 2 6 1

Perry and Howard; Pigg, Smith (5) and Shamblin.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)


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