TBCA Coaches Poll for April 29, 2015

TBCA State Poll      Week 6      April 20-25

Class AAA                                

  1. Farragut                             

  2. Houston                              

  3. Sevier Co.                           

  4. Arlington                             

  5. Hendersonville                       

  6. Bartlett                              

  7. Cookeville                            

  8. Clarksville                            

  9. Riverdale                             

10. Ravenwood                           

 

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The Commandos used a five run first inning and a walk off three run homer from Grant Williams to defeat Lebanon 12-1 in five innings in the second round of the district 9AAA tournament. Brandon Fuller picked up his fifth win of the year on the mound. A full recap of this game will be available soon.

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.

The Commandos ended the 2015 regular season with a loss to Lipscomb Academy. Ben Smith did his best to will Commandos to a win with a two-hit game, but Commandos dropped a 18-7 contest to Lipscomb on Wednesday at Lipscomb. #12, #22, #33 and #2 helped lead Lipscomb. They combined for nine hits and nine RBIs. Austin Brown took the loss for Commandos. He allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings, walked one and struck out one. The top of the first saw Commandos take an early lead, 1-0. Lipscomb survived Commandos' surge and put up three runs of its own in the first. Lipscomb scored on an RBI double by #22, an RBI double by #33, and an RBI single by #2. Lipscomb never surrendered the lead after the second inning, scoring seven runs on a three-run double by #10, an error, and two singles. After pushing across two runs in the top of the third, Commandos faced just a 10-5 deficit. A two-run double by Austin Brown fueled Commandos' comeback. But, #9 got Braden Schwerdt to strike out to end the inning. It didn't take long for Lipscomb to answer as it scored five runs of its own in the third. Lipscomb scored on an RBI single by #22, a three-run home run by #33, and a sacrifice fly by #25. Two runs in the top of the fourth helped Commandos close its deficit to 15-7. A bases loaded walk by #9 and a sacrifice fly by Jarques Wordlaw gave Commandos life. Finally, #9 got Austin Brown to fly out to end the threat.