In an encore performance, Walker Valley ace Titus Torbett dominated McMinn County on its own Reservation for the second time in three weeks to claim the opening game of the District 5-4A Baseball Tournament.
The senior Maryville College signee fired a complete-game, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out 10 batters in the Mustangs' 6-1 win over the Tribe in the first of a best-of-3 semifinal series.
"I felt really good about Game 1 of series this season for a reason.
Titus Torbett is a heck of a player and heck of a pitcher. And tonight, he hit 100 strikeouts on the season. I can't say enough about that guy," proclaimed Mustang head coach Wes Anderson said of the big lefty's performance.
Back on April 14, Torbett shutout McMinn in a 7-0 victory, notching 11 Ks in the regular season series opener.
Despite the repeat outcome, Coach Anderson isn't ready to "count his chickens before they hatch," remembering McMinn came back to take the next two games of the previous matchup.
"We talked about it after the game. As great as a win as this is, that's still a heck of a ball club over there. So we've got to lock in. We enjoy the win for this moment, but the time to lock in is now," the top Herd wrangler expressed.
The victory gives the Herd an advantage in the elimination action, needing just one more win in either Friday's rematch or Saturday's "if necessary" game, back in Athens.
MUSTANGS 6, CHEROKEES 1: Walker Valley (15-16) loaded the bases to kick things off with singles from Brody Ownby and Torbett, plus a walk to Cleveland State signee Jordan Smith to boot, but a ground out ended the threat without any runs crossing in the top of the first.
Torbett worked around a leadoff single in the bottom half of the frame with a key strikeout to end the first still scoreless.
In the second, the Mustangs got runners on again, but this time it paid off with a couple swings.
Micah Stone walked to lead off the frame and Tyce Knouse laid down a perfect bunt along the third base line, forcing an errant throw from McMinn's starter Marshall Goodner. With the error, Stone and Knouse were at the corners with nobody out.
Nine-hole hitter Hayden Harrison came through with a sacrifice fly to get the 'Stangs on the board, and Ownby later brought home Knouse on a squeeze play to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.
At this point, Torbett and Goodner both settled in for a few innings as the expected pitchers' duel met its billing.
It wasn't until the Cherokees' bottom of the fifth that there was real action on the basepaths.
McMinn catcher Cooper Wilson walked with two outs, and nine-hole hitter Linc Brazzell smacked an RBI-triple to the right-center wall.
However, the Mustangs had an answer, and a big one at that.
Walker Valley plated four in response in the top sixth, with Smith stroking a leadoff and later scoring on an error. Harrison sent a run-scoring single to left, plating freshman Zander Neuendorf, who had walked to add to his team-leading .462 on base percentage on the season.
Harrison delivered another RBI with a single this time, while a ground out by Owen Sneed plated Knouse, who had reached on a bunt single. Ownby capped the rally with a two-out single to right field.
Needing just 94 pitches, 66 in the strike zone, while facing just 25 batters, Torbett shut down the Cherokee bats for the final six outs.
The Mustang ace improved his record to 6-2 on the campaign, with an 0.83 ERA and a .949 WHIP. He has 101 strikeouts and handed out just 16 free passes in 59 innings on the bump.
Ownby went 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs for the victors, while Torbett (.289, .381) helped himself out with a two-hit day, as did Knouse, who also scored twice.
Smith had a hit and walked twice, while Sneed and Harrison both had a hit, plating one and two teammates respectively.
Brazzell added a double to hit three-base knock to pace McMinn, while Luke Lawson and Cam Miller had a hit apiece.
GAME SUMMARY
District 5-4A
Semifinals
Thursday, May 1
at Athens
Walker Valley 020 004 0 — 6 9 0
McMinn County 000 000 0 — 1 4 3
WP: Titus Torbett 7 IP, 10 Ks, 1 BB, 4 hits, 0 ER. LP: Marshall Goodner 6 IP, 4 Ks, 3 BB, 8 hits, 2 ER. 3B: Linc Brazzell (MC). 2B: Brazzell (MC). RBI: Harrison 2, Ownby 2, Sneed (WV); Brazzell (MC). HERD HIGHLIGHTS: Ownby 3-3, 2 RBI; Torbett 2-4; Knouse 2-4, 2 RS; Harrison 1-3, 2 RBI, RS; Smith 1-2, 2 BB, RS. RECORDS: Walker Valley 15-16; McMinn County 17-12.