Article by Craig Harris (Gallatin News Examiner) 

HENDERSONVILLE – The Hendersonville High School baseball team has anxiously awaited for the postseason to arrive.

Then, the Commandos had to wait a while longer.

Their 7 p.m. start time was delayed an hour and 20 minutes on Friday evening due to an extra-inning game beforehand, but Hendersonville showed no ill effects of the delay, erupting for four runs in the first inning and rolling to a 10-3 victory over Station Camp in the two teams' District 9-AAA Tournament opener at Drakes Creek Park.

"We're ready," Commando senior first baseman Ben Smith said of the postseason. "We've been ready for a while.

"We were playing pepper, playing two-ball, trying to stay loose. It's a big game. It's a big tournament. It's a big thing hosting. We came up short last year. We're trying to advance to the region, one game at a time."

Hendersonville's last trip to the Region 5-AAA Tournament came in 2010.

"We're trying to go out on a high note," Smith – who is one of the team's 10 seniors – said. "We haven't advanced to the region in a while. We have a great group of guys who give 100-percent effort every time out there."

The Commandos captured a 3-0 victory at Station Camp when the two teams played on March 24.

"They're a solid team," Smith said. "They always come ready to play."

However, Hendersonville (27-11) – the No. 1 seed from the 9-AAA North Division – was the team that appeared more ready on Friday as the first six Commandos reached base.

Senior Austin Brown singled through the right side of the infield to drive in classmates Smith and Drew Richard, and fellow senior Jarcques Wordlaw followed with a single to right-centerfield to drive in Brown and junior courtesy runner Jon Swindle.

"They're good," Bison head coach Jerry Ballard said of Hendersonville. "We just have to keep finding ways to battle and get back (closer) to them and hold our own when we do."

Smith – a John A. Logan (Ill.) College signee – doubled to right-centerfield in the second inning, driving in Richard.

"I feel comfortable up there," Smith said. "That' a big thing. I'm recognizing the ball out of the hand and seeing if it's a pitch I can drive."

Senior Braden Schwerdt drew a third-inning walk and scored when classmate Connor Fischer singled, and the Commandos erupted for four more runs in the fourth inning.

Wordlaw's fourth-inning triple drove in Swindle, and he scored thanks to a sacrifice fly off of the bat of junior Cooper Brenning.

Three batters later, Fischer doubled to right-centerfield, driving in Schwerdt and senior Justin Long for a 10-0 lead.

Fischer had three of his squad's 11 hits, and both Schwerdt and Wordlaw provided two each.

Station Camp – the No. 4 seed from the 9-AAA South Division – responded by scoring all of its runs in the fifth inning.

Senior Austin Windsor's single was sandwiched around sophomore Dylan Pottorff and freshman Chris Ruffino being hit by pitches.

Windsor and junior courtesy runner Parker Craighead scored thanks to a fielding error, and sophomore Thomas Zazzaro drove in the game's final run with a groundout.

Ruffino – the third Bison pitcher – retired seven of the eight hitters he faced in 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

However, Station Camp (16-14-1) mustered just two hits off of Hendersonville junior starting pitcher Grant Williams, with the other coming on senior Jackson Bryant's second-inning single.

Williams (6-1) allowed three unearned runs, issued two base on balls and struck out six hitters.

"He's a good pitcher," Ballard said. "In the top of the first, we had good at-bats. We got a runner to third (base). When you get down that big that early, it takes certain things you'd like to do out of play."

Sophomore Andrew Dorris came on to toss a perfect seventh inning, striking out two hitters.

"We're like anybody else," Smith said. "Sometimes, we catch ourselves thinking beyond (the game at hand).

"It's like our coach said after the game, 'tonight doesn't matter. Tomorrow matters.' We try to have a short memory and take it one game at a time."

The Bison were slated to face Gallatin – which suffered a 3-2, 11-inning loss to Lebanon in the two teams' tournament opener earlier on Friday – in an elimination contest on Saturday. The Commandos were slated to face Lebanon in a winners bracket contest.

Sports reporter Craig Harris can be contacted at 575-7138.

Station Camp 000 030 0 – 3 2 1

Hendersonville 411 400 x – 10 11 1

Michael Neely, Blake Gay (3), Chris Ruffino (4) and Dylan Pottorff; Grant Williams, Andrew Dorris (7) and Cooper Brenning. WP – Williams (6-1). LP – Neely (5-2). Records: Station Camp 16-14-1, Hendersonville 27-11.