Evans fuels FHS win vs. Div. II-AA power Baylor 5-1
Evans, a senior first baseman/third baseball who is the team’s clean-up (No. 4) hitter, leads Farragut in five offensive categories entering District 4-4A Tournament action this week (see schedule on Page 2B): batting average (.443), home runs (eight-tied), RBI (43), walks (35) and on-base percentage (.591).
Fortifying those numbers Saturday in a battle of the top-ranked public school in Tennessee (FHS) and the highest ranking private school in the Volunteer State (Chattanooga Baylor), Evans provided four of the Admirals’ five RBI in a 5-1 home victory in The Ballpark at Farragut/John Heatherly Field Saturday afternoon, April 27.
“I trust my teammates to get on before me, and they trust me,” said Evans, whose two-out, two-RBI double to deep right field broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third. “I try and do whatever I can just to help us win.”
With the Ads clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Evans smacked a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 4-1 Farragut. He also singled in the second inning.
“He’s been locked in here recently; he’s a special player,” Ads skipper Matt Buckner said.
Charlie Bozeman, Farragut senior left fielder, added a solo home run in the sixth (tying Evans with a team co-leading eight). “He’s had a phenomenal year,” Buckner said. “I’m really proud of him.”
Farragut senior starter Cade O’Leary pitched the first three innings while recording eight strikeouts with no runs or walks and one hit allowed.
The key? “Just attacking with the fastball and then working the off-speed off of it,” he said.
Other big bats Saturday were seniors Lukas Buckner (two singles), Jake Merrick (double, two runs scored), Landis Davila (single) and Brennon Seigler (single).
Ads senior relievers Ryan Wallace, Braylon Hall and Braxton Lewis combined to allow one earned run, three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in four innings.
