CLEVELAND, Tenn. – On a night when the Bradley baseball community gathered to honor former skipper Joe Adams with the program’s first jersey retirement celebration, the current Bears honored perhaps the most prominent figure in their storied diamond history in fitting style.
“I think dad would have liked that one.
He always enjoyed good clean games where the pitchers on the mound dictated the things you needed to do to scratch off a run here or there. A 1-0 win was fitting,” said current Bradley coach Travis Adams, a chip off the old block if ever there was one.
Bradley senior ace Cooper Casteel was absolutely dominate, striking out 14 in an 80-pitch complete-game effort as the Bears improved to 7-0 in 5AAA league play with a 1-0 victory over McMinn County at the Toby McKenzie Complex.
For his part, Casteel was happy to have the ball on such a monumental occasion.
“It was a really big game for us. It was McMinn County and it was for first place, but more than anything else, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t screw it up for the Adams family. I just wanted to honor their family with something special, and a win against McMinn is always special,” said Casteel.
Fresh off a 16-k, no-hit performance in his last district outing, the big lefty was special, striking out the side in the first and seven of the first nine Cherokee hitters with a heavy fastball, a wicked curve ball and an absolute devastating slider he has added to his repertoire this year. Casteel struck out every McMinn hitter in the lineup at least once, and allowed just two hits and a walk.
“I just wanted to get ahead of hitters and when I have all my pitches working and I can throw them at any count, I’m going to get strikeouts,” said Casteel, who fell behind only three hitters all night.
“He just does stuff the right way, things you don’t have to be told to do. He shows up early and it’s never about himself out there. He wants to win and he takes pride in being part of the team. He got ahead of guys tonight and then he got their bats moving. One minute it’s right there and then the next it’s not. I also have to tip my cap to (catcher) Braden (Malone). You take for granted so many things, but all those balls he clocked up on third strikes, man, that’s some tough stuff back there. It doesn’t go unnoticed,” added Adams.
The game was an emotional one as the #23 jersey was unveiled in left field before the start of the game with some 30 former players on hand to partake in the celebration of the man who made the Bradley program into one of the most feared in the state. Adams guided Bradley to 387 wins, nine district titles, four region crowns and four state tournament appearances while holding the head coaching reins for 18 years and was celebrated by his family in his absence as he currently battles dementia.
McMinn ace Ollie Akins was equally effective, allowing just an unearned run in the fourth while striking out six. The Bears scratched out a run in that fourth after leadoff hitter Dakota Peace reached on an infield error to open the frame. Casteel helped himself with a booming double to right field, and with the infield drawn in, Karter Howard tapped a bouncer up the middle to score the deciding run. Cherokees centerfielder Jayden Miller, who made two really nice diving catches, threw out the second runner at the plate, but with Casteel at his best, the lone run was more than enough.
Casteel allowed an infield single in the third, a walk in the fifth and a solid single in the sixth, but never broke a sweat getting out of trouble. An errant pickoff attempt after Sam Goodin’s single to left in the sixth moved him to scoring position, but Casteel picked him of a second in a rundown, and then struck out the next hitter to end the threat.
Bradley wound up with six hits on the night with Taylor Duggan notching two of them.
“Every district win is big, and with the circumstances, it was a great win, but more importantly it gets us in a good frame of mind heading up there tomorrow,” Adams added.
The loss is McMinn’s second in league play as the defending league champs split with Walker Valley which sits in second spot with the one league loss and a two-game set looming next week with the Bears. The Cherokees won both games last season via one-run outcomes, so no one was surprised to see the two proud programs – both of which Joe Adams once led – fighting to the end.
MCMINN COUNTY 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
BRADLEY CENTRAL 000 100 x – 1 6 1
Akens and Roderick; Casteel and Malone.
(Contact James Beach at 1134james@gmail.com)