Brandon Ward Strikes Out 12 In 4-1 Win Over Trojans
by John Hunt
posted May 6, 2008
The Red Bank Lions didn’t have to wait until their final at-bat to claim victory Tuesday night.
Unlike Monday when the Lions literally had to fight for their collective lives in an unbelievable 17-16 comeback win over Ooltewah, it was prep baseball at its best at Central's Gene Lively Stadium.
The Lions earned their third-straight District 6-AAA tournament title with a methodical 4-1 victory over regular-season champ Soddy Daisy.
Senior Brandon Ward had gotten hit pretty hard in his first game of the tournament on Friday when the Owls rolled to an 8-3 win, but he was the man of the hour the second time around as he pitched his best game of the year against the Trojans.
Ward went the distance and struck out a season-high 12 while allowing five hits and two walks.
He was somewhat shaky in the first inning when the Trojans picked up two hits and their only run of the game.
He was in total control the rest of the way, putting an exclamation point on his sixth win by striking out the side in Soddy Daisy's last chance to rally.
“That was my best game so far this season as I felt good when I got here and started warming up. I was hoping we’d score some runs early, but we came through when we had to,” the scrappy senior explained after his team improved to 23-15 for the season.
“I felt good all night as I was focused. I had my off-speed pitch working and I was doing a good job of hitting my spots,” he added.
The Lions loaded the bases in the first inning without getting a hit, but Dakoda Hill dug deep and got a force at home for the second out and a fly to left to end that threat.
Dakota Price led off Soddy Daisy’s half of the inning with a single before being forced at second. A fly to center produced the second out and Jordan Gault stole second before Zach Stephens sent him home with a single to left.
The Trojans put two more runners on in the fourth on a leadoff double by Ryan Mullins and a single by Stephens, but Ward struck out the next three to leave two runners in scoring position.
That was the last real threat posed by Soddy Daisy.
Meanwhile, Red Bank knotted the score with a single run in the second.
Alan Walden ripped a two-out double to right and scored on back-to-back wild pitches.
The Lions then took the lead with two more runs in the fourth. Ward reached on a one-out single and scored on a double by Cullen Clabo, who scored minutes later on a bad throw by the Trojan shortstop.
Corey Emery then made it 4-1 with a solo homer to right in the fifth.
Red Bank coach Bumper Reece was smiling when the game ended and he had the District 6-AAA tournament championship plaque in hand.
“This was definitely a different game from the one we played last night,” he said with a laugh.
“Both teams were pretty loose and their pitcher did a great job, but we were able to adjust a little bit. I never felt comfortable because Soddy Daisy can swing the bats and they have several guys with real power. They have the potential to score a lot of runs in a hurry.
"Brandon did an incredible job. His velocity picked up and he got tougher as the game went on. He was at his best in the sixth and seventh innings," the coach praised his pitcher.
"I knew it would be a close game as it always is when we face Soddy Daisy, but we’d love to play these guys again on Wednesday,” he added, knowing that setting would be for the Region 3-AAA championship
Soddy Daisy coach Steve Garland wasn’t very happy afterward.
“Dakoda Hill just gave his guts on the mound and we weren’t up to the task of supporting him. You would think we’d have more in the tank after the game they played last night, but we didn’t,” he said as players collected equipment from the Trojan dugout.
“Red Bank played with a lot of confidence. They came out tonight expecting to win. It would have been nice to win tonight, but Monday’s game is really the one that counts if we’re planning to advance to the state tournament,” Garland concluded.
Hill was a tough-luck loser as he surrendered all four runs on just five hits. He also walked five and finished his evening with five strikeouts in six innings. Andrew McWilliams pitched a perfect seventh.
Red Bank finished with five hits. Nobody had more than one. Emery’s homer was the biggest blow while Clabo and Walden both had doubles. Kacy Bembry and Ward each added a single.
Mullins and Stephens both had two hits for the Trojans while Price had the other single.
Both teams return to action on Monday with Red Bank hosting the District 5-AAA runner-up. Soddy Daisy will be on the road to face the 5-AAA champion.
McMinn County beat Cleveland Tuesday night in the losers’ bracket final and will meet Bradley Wednesday afternoon for the 5-AAA title.
Red Bank 010 021 0 – 4 5 0
Soddy Daisy 100 000 0 – 1 5 1
Ward and Barker; Hill, McWilliams (7) and Baier
(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com).
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