East Hamilton continues to get solid pitching, good defense and clutch hitting this baseball season. Throw in a bit of luck and the Hurricanes have utilized the perfectly good combination to stand alone in the District 5-3A standings.
The Hurricanes (14-2, 7-0) manufactured runs in three different innings, got a combined five-hit pitching performance from Isaac Moulds and Chase Roberts and defeated the Soddy-Daisy Trojans, 6-3, Monday night at Tom Higgins Field.
East Hamilton retained sole possession of first place over Bradley Central (10-6, 4-1). The Bears beat Walker Valley, 10-0. The Trojans (9-6, 3-2) dropped into third place and Ooltewah (9-7, 4-3), is fourth after beating Cleveland, 3-1.
The same matchups will take place in the second games of home-and-home series Tuesday.
Coach Steve Garland’s Canes scored three runs in the second inning for a two-run lead, but the Trojans tied the game at 3-3 with two runs in the fifth.
The Hurricanes regained the lead with a run in the sixth inning. Pierce Durham struck out and Blaine Savage stroked a one-out single to left. Josh Brown struck out. Savage stole second and Conner Thornburg drew a walk. Savage stole third and then scored on a wild pitch ahead of a Jack Stone strikeout.
Will Campbell started the Canes’ seventh inning with a single to center off reliever Aaron Couch, who came on for starter Seth Coffelt. Coffelt had thrown 119 pitches. Austin Wolcott was inserted as a courtesy runner for Campbell. Bradley Garland grounded out. Noah Pridmore walked and also gave way to a courtesy runner, Jackson Fletcher.
Clay Honeycutt batted for Blake Hedrick. Wolcott moved to third on a wild pitch and Honeycutt drew a walk to load the bases. Durham walked and Wolcott crossed the plate. Fletcher scored on Savage’s groundout.
Chase Roberts relieved Moulds (3-0) to start the seventh inning.
Moulds, who threw 90 pitches, 58 for strikes, worked five innings and gave up five hits and three runs while striking out nine and walking one.
Roberts gave up a walk to Spencer Gore but struck out Hayden Maynor and Landon Maynor before inducing Jacob Jennings to fly out to center ending the ballgame. He picked up his second save.
The Trojans took a 1-0 first-inning lead when Hayden Maynor walked and later scored on a throwing error by Moulds after Harrison Travis’ fly-ball out to center.
Soddy-Daisy’s lead didn’t last long.
In East Hamilton’s second inning, Pridmore flied out and Blake Hedrick doubled to left field. Durham followed with a single. Savage was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brown walked and Hedrick scored. Thonrburg’s sacrifice fly resulted in Durham and Savage scoring for a 3-1 lead.
Bradley Garland went 2 for 4 and was the only player to have multiple hits.
Coffelt pitched six innings and yielded six hits and four runs. He struck out five and walked five.
Bradley Central 10, Walker Valley 0: Riley Black threw a one-hit shutout, giving up a first-inning single to Walker Valley’s Ethan Hailey. Black went the distance and struck out five and walked one, needing just 74 pitches to record the impressive win.
Catcher Dylan Standifer went 3 for 3 and drove in four runs to back Black’s sterling mound effort. Black walked three times. Freddy Johnson was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and scored twice while Tucker Still had two hits and five at-bats and scored a run.
The Bears scored the only runs Black needed in the first inning on Black’s double and Still, who reached on a bunt single, scored on a passed ball.
Bradley pushed the score to 8-0 with a five-run fifth. Logan Weeks delivered a single to score Eli Wilson and Caden Sherlin. Johnson’s double pushed Ryan Giovengo home and Standifer’s double scored Weeks and Johnson.
Johnson doubled home a run in the sixth and Standifer’s single up the middle accounted for the other run.
Ooltewah 3, Cleveland 1: Chris Bayne pitched a complete-game four-hitter and allowed one unearned run. His efficiency on the mound was evident with 62 of his 88 pitches finding the strike zone.
Bayne gave up the only run the Blue Raiders (7-5, 2-3) could muster when Ryan Lee singled to score Hunter Levert, who reached on an error by first baseman Kael Williams.
Then, it was up to the Owls’ offense to score some runs.
In the fourth inning, Bayne helped his own cause with a two-out single that scored Jacob Robinson, who earlier walked.
An inning later, the Owls scored twice. Noah Huling singled to left, moved to second and third on passed balls and came home on Williams’ sacrifice fly. With two outs, Colby Taylor singled and drove home Payton Keiser, who had walked.
The Owls got only three hits off Caden Williams but made them count. Williams struck out eight and walked three.
Linescores
East Hamilton 030 001 2 – 6 7 1
Soddy-Daisy 100 020 0 – 3 5 2
Moulds, Roberts (7) and Campbell; Coffelt, Couch (7) and Travis
Bradley Central 200 152 – 10 11 0
Walker Valley 000 000 – 0 1 1
Black and Standifer; Hailey, Essenburg (4), Swafford (5), Cavanagh (6) and Calfee
Ooltewah 000 120 0 – 3 3 2
Cleveland 001 000 0 – 1 4 1
Bayne and Dockery; Williams and Lee
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)