Bearden baseball, softball see mixed results in first week
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Bearden softball coach Alicia Boris is in the midst of her first season at the helm for her alma mater.
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Dave Prichard’s Bearden Bulldogs got off to a 3-0 start in 2026.
The Bearden baseball and softball teams have gotten started on the diamond this spring, and both programs have begun to see results roll in.
Dave Prichard’s Bulldogs opened with a 3-2 win over Karns. Carter McCallum stole second and third before scoring on an error by the Beavers catcher, marking the third of three straight runs for BHS in the top of the fifth.
The Dawgs overcame a 2-0 deficit in two of the three previous at-bats, as Fenn Piper knocked an RBI single to score Boone Piper before Jack Fennell snuck another RBI single into center to score Finn Piper. From there, Walter Pankau closed it out in the seventh to cap a two-inning outing with four strikeouts, while Colton Perkins went five innings with seven strikeouts and two hits and as many runs given up.
Things were far different against Lenoir City, as the Dawgs tore through their first two district tilts with wins of 11-1 and 10-0.
In the 11-1 victory, Fenn Piper went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, while Charlie Loftin gave up just two hits and an earned run with three walks and four strikeouts.
The next day, three different Bulldogs — Tyler Cline, Hunter Harris and Jack Fennell — notched 2 RBI apiece, while Perkins brought home three runs off his own bat. Grayson Wright dealt nine strikeouts in that one while giving up three hits and no runs.
“It’s always good to get off to a good start like that,” Bulldogs coach Dave Prichard told the farragutpress. “We had struggled trying to answer some questions in the preseason, but we saw some growth and had a chance to work on some things. Felt good about our front end pitchers but there are still some things to work on offensively.”
What are those things specifically?
“Just cutting down on strikeouts,” Prichard said. “Feel like we’ve killed a couple opportunities not putting the mall in play. I feel like we’re a team built on capitalizing on pressure and creating chaos. I told our guys this will be a pass the baton offense, so everyone has to do their job and hand it off to the next guy.”
In total, though, Prichard remained pleased with a group that entered the season relatively unproven.
“The goal is to get them as comfortable as possible so they really lean into what they’re capable of later,” he said.
On the softball side, Bearden went 1-2 in its first three games with an 8-7 win against McMinn County and losses of 12-8 and 13-11 to Lenoir City and Jefferson County, respectively.
Through the first few games, new head coach Alicia Boris noted that Evangeline “Banjo” Dunn has played especially well.
“She has a great approach to the plate in at bats,” Boris said, “and she doesn’t carry negatives with her.”
Still, the Lady Dawgs did see plenty of progress at the plate, including Kaylynn Wood’s first career home run against the Cherokees. Jenna Gonzales hammered one of her own against Jefferson County, as Bearden is looking to rebound this season.
“I am proud of the fight these girls have shown,” Boris said. “We are working through multiple sicknesses and injuries through the past two weeks so I am proud that they never gave up as a team. Fight is something intrinsic you can’t really teach. They are learning to work through failure. If they learn anything through this program and playing softball, my hope is they can conquer adversity and failure by pushing forward and learning from it.”
The Lady Bulldogs faced Harriman on Tuesday, March 10, while the Bulldogs took on Heritage Monday and West Ridge Tuesday as part of a six-game slate this week.
