After Providence handled Boyd Buchanan in the early game, Christian Academy of Knoxville knocked off Silverdale in a game with only one hit that didn’t leave the yard. Silverdale’s one hit against CAK starter Luke Jones was a homer, but the Warriors topped them with two long-balls of their own to win 3-1.
“(Jones) threw great,” said CAK head coach Tommy Pharr. “He had command of three pitches and he’s a tough kid. Our plan originally was to split the game up, but after we got a lead and he was rolling, we decided to just go with it,” said Pharr.
Silverdale’s Ian Reagan dueled with Jones early as neither pitcher allowed a hit through the first two innings. Reagan walked a few runners, but timely defensive plays and tough pitches when it mattered kept the Seahawks out of early trouble.
In the third, CAK broke through. Dressed in all gray, the Warrior dugout was filled to absolute capacity with an insatiable band of ballplayers who created ruckus and commotion all night long. The intensity reached its boiling point and gray uniforms poured out onto the field toward home plate when Wesley Alig launched a star-scraping two-run homer to left-center field. The sky was filled with streaks of cotton candy-colored clouds–maybe it looked more pepto-bismol colored if you were on the Silverdale side, as the ball soared well beyond the outfield fence to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.
Looking for more in the fourth, CAK got their first two batters aboard, but after a strikeout, they fell victim to one of the more bizarre double-plays you will see. With freshman Joey Sulish at third and sophomore Jack Pearson at second, John Kirby Hamilton stung a hard grounder to Silverdale first baseman Eric Boggess. As Boggess headed to step on first for the out, Sulish broke for home and instead of recording the out, Boggess was forced to fire home, where catcher Tanner Bayne mishandled the ball.
Having turned back for third base before Bayne bobbled the throw, a frantic Sulish turned his 180 into a 360 and now headed back for the plate where Bayne recovered and tagged him out. Hamilton, the batter, saw his chance to advance to second with all of the commotion, and Baye threw down to the bag where Hamilton slid in safely. As the ball pinballed all around the infield, Pearson had advanced to third, and with the ball now at second, he too decided to try his luck at stealing a run. Silverdale second baseman Owen Phillips heaved it back to Bayne at home who tagged out a second runner at the plate on the very same play to end the inning and put out the Warrior threat.
Jones kept his no-hitter rolling through the fourth inning, and in the fourth, his offense gave him some more support–again by jumping the yard. After Reagan struck out the first two batters of the inning, senior catcher Bennett Rymer crushed a pitch to left field for his second career home run. Small in stature, Rymer showed that his bat still holds plenty of pop.
“There wasn’t much hitting for either team,” said Pharr. “They’ve got some really good pitchers and some really good players… that was a quality win for us,” said Pharr.
The experienced and talented Silverdale squad didn’t go out without swinging, however. Brody Lamb bludgeoned a fastball to straightway right field where it cruised out of the ballpark to cut into the deficit and awaken the Seahawk bench.
Unfazed, Jones remained locked in and didn’t allow another hit. Alex Slycord and Turner Junkins teamed up in relief for Silverdale and shut down the Warrior bats as well.
“I felt good,” said Jones. “I felt like whatever coach Pharr called, I could throw it there. My teammates backed me up and made some good plays,” added Jones as several teammates chanted his name from the dugout.
CAK will take on Providence on Tuesday, against whom they are 2-1 on the season. Silverdale will play Boyd Buchanan.
CAK 002 010 0 – 3
SILVERDALE 000 010 0 – 1
Jones and Rymer; Reagan, Slycord(6), Jonkins(7), and Bayne.