Dawgs see success in week two
After going 5-1 to open the season two weeks ago, Bearden High School’s baseball team had a successful second week last week.
The Bulldogs lost to Maryville 4-1 on Tuesday, March 22, then ran off four straight wins to improve to 9-2 under first-year coach Dave Prichard. All four were part of the Smoky Bear/DeMarini Invitational Tournament. The games were played at various locations around the area.
Prichard said he is pleased with his squad’s overall performance so far.
“We didn’t play our best on Tuesday but we responded with four wins in a row,” he said. “It gives us good momentum going into district play that starts Monday. We’re excited to see how we compete against those good teams.”
Thursday, March 24, Bearden defeated Jefferson County 5-4 at home. Braden Suggs got the win, striking out five in four innings. Brady Frederick, Evan Goins and Parker Coe combined to go eight for 10 with four RBI. “We made things a little hard on ourselves (led 4-0 after five), but we closed it out,” Prichard said.
Friday, March 25, the Bulldogs put together every coach’s dream game: great hitting and great pitching. Winning pitcher Isaiah Whited struck out seven over five innings as Bearden dominated Seymour 15-0 at Seymour.
“Isaiah is a freshman; it was his first start … it was good to see him take care of business,” Prichard said.
Multi-hit batters for Bearden included Carson Cooper (2-2, RBI), Riley Mahan (2-2, RBI), Griffin Mackey (2-2, 2 RBI), and JP Harris (3-4, 3 RBI).
The Bulldogs played two on Saturday, March 26, both at home. The first game was an 8-6 win over Tates Creek High School from Kentucky. Down 6-2 in the sixth, Bearden scored six runs in the inning.
Cooper got the win in two innings of relief of Goins, who pitched four innings. Brooks Wright hit a home run and drove in two, Frederick and Mahan went 4-7 combined, and Harris tied the game in the sixth with a two-run double.
“Quality win against a really good opponent,” Prichard said.
Bearden finished the week in dramatic fashion as it defeated McMinn Co. 3-2 in eight innings.
Tied at one after seven, the Cherokees took a 2-1 lead in the eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, Bearden’s Griffin Oros hit a game-winning two-run single, driving in Goins and Suggs with the winning runs.
