Ads, Dawgs turn back the clock to wrap regular season
The unmistakable sound exploded from Zain Kureshi-Smith’s Victus 30-inch Pro Reserve Maple, as the senior used his wooden weapon to produce an RBI single and a 1-0 Farragut lead against Pigeon Forge.
In the press box, bowtie-clad P.A. announcer Ralph Skinner cued up the next tune from a list that included Frank Sinatra’s best hits and Tony Dorsey’s “Boogie Woogie” from the 1940s.
These were just a couple of the sounds inside the Ballpark at Farragut last week as the Admirals hosted their annual “Throwback Night’ to wrap the regular-season home slate on Thursday, April 23.
The event began two decades ago under former Admirals coach Tommy Pharr, each game bringing in money for the KiMe Fund to cure young-onset Parkinson’s Disease. Since their inception, the games have been sponsored by the late Pat Dorwin, a member of Farragut’s 1982 state championship team, and the Farragut Baseball Dugout Club.
In the earlier days of these matchups, every team would wear a throwback uniform, and each player used a wooden bat — a piece of equipment that was not as common for high-schoolers at the time.
While the uniform aspect is no longer in play, the bat usage still brings a unique theme that pairs with Skinner’s musical playlist and discounted prices for popcorn and hot dogs at the concession stand.
“It’s kind of been the same thing for a while, just a fun thing to do to switch things up late in the year,” Admirals skipper Garrett Copeland said. “I think the guys enjoy it. Wood bats have become more of the summer staple, and it wasn’t quite that way when it started.”
In the first game of the night, Dave Prichard’s Bearden Bulldogs clashed with the Baylor Red Raiders out of Chattanooga.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead early, and they threatened to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth; but Noah Reichert was called out at the plate, and Baylor responded with three runs over the next two innings to claim a 4-2 victory.
“I think we played really well,” Prichard said. “We’re up 2-1 at one point, a chance to go up 3-1, and we get a close play at the plate with an unfortunate call. I thought we battled and took risks. The fight was good, and Colton Perkins on the mound was phenomenal.”
Isaiah Allen and Garrett Wright each went 2-for-3 for BHS with Wright smacking a solo homer in the top of the third. On the mound, Perkins gave up 10 hits with five strikeouts across six innings.
“I think we’re playing our best baseball right now, and we got better today — which is hard to say when you take one on the chin against a really good team,” Prichard said. “We’re playing our best going into tournament time, which is what you’re supposed to do.”
Copeland noted a similar thought for his team, though the Admirals started a little more slowly than they might have preferred en route to a 10-2 victory.
Kureshi-Smith’s RBI single put the Ads up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, only for Pigeon Forge to respond for a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Undeterred, Farragut stacked nine runs across three
middle innings — with six in the fifth alone — to emerge victorious.
Kureshi-Smith went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs, but it was Mason Shelton’s two-run shot in the third that gave the Ads a lead they would not relinquish. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
“I think even though it’s a wood bat, our approach is the same, and our approach has been good recently,” Copeland said. “A wood bat has a chance to expose some things, but I thought we did well.”
“Then Mason, the last couple weeks, has settled in and found a groove. I think it was a bit of a slower start than he wanted, but he works hard and wants the best for himself and works until he gets the best out of it.”
FHS saw a similar result on the mound, allowing just one hit with a combined eight strikeouts through four different arms: Joey Ray, Braiden Meredith, Cash Schroeder and Aidan Flagg.
“I thought our guys did a good job; they competed in the strike zone with multiple pitches,” Copeland said. “Our goal is to always challenge hitters, and they did a good job of that.”
