It was a battle down to the last pitch for Cloudland and Unaka on Saturday in the District 1-A Baseball tournament.
No. 3 Unaka rallied and then held off a furious No. 4 Cloudland rally to take a 6-5 win in an elimination game on Saturday morning at TVA Credit Union Field. In the second elimination game of the day, Unaka saw the season come to a close with a 5-1 loss to No. 2 North Greene.
Both Cloudland and Unaka saw the season come to close.
In the first game of the day, Cloudland struck early.
Walker Gouge opened the game with a single and then scored after Thomas Job put the ball in play and forced an error.
Job scored on an error to give the ‘Landers a 2-0 lead after a frame of play.
Unaka was unable to answer in the bottom of the first.
Cloudland pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second as Cam Peppers drew a walk and Will Polechio – who was pinch-running for Peppers – crossed home plate after a Gouge single.
Neither team was able to push a run across to the bottom of the fifth. Micah Gray, Robert Humphrey, and Rylan Crabtree reached base to load the bases with no outs, and Laken Barnett plated two of the runners after putting the ball in play.
Unaka took its first lead of the lead as Cameron Prince put a ball in play that forced a Cloudland error and plated three runs as UHS took a 5-3 lead.
The Rangers added a run in the sixth as Barnett hit a single that allowed Crabtree to score.
Cloudland, however, didn’t go quietly.
Jacob Withee reached base on a one-out walk, while Gougle hit a single to move the runner to third. Withee and Gouge scored after Tristan Lowery put a bunt in play that forced a Unaka error.
CHS was able to load the bases but was unable to tie the game.
Barnett had three RBI and one hit for Unaka, while Crabtree had 1 hit and two runs scored. On the mound, Barnett had 14 strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on five hits in 6.1 innings of work.
Gouge led Cloudland as he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Job and Peppers had a hit a piece. Peppers recorded eight strikeouts and allowed no earned runs on no hits in five innings of work.
In the second elimination game of the day, runs were at a premium for both Unaka and North Greene.
Neither team was to get on the board until NG scored a run in the third and another in the fourth.
In the top of the fifth, Cooper Shanks and Prince each had a one-out single while Brandon Buckles reached via error to load the bases. Gray hit into a fielder’s choice as Shanks scored to cut the lead to 2-1. The Rangers loaded the bases again after Humphrey was hit by a pitch, but Unaka was unable to move the runners.
The Huskies, however, answered with two runs in the home side of the frame to take a 4-1 lead.
Despite a hard-fought effort, Unaka was unable to mount a rally in the closing innings.
Bailey Cannon, Brycen Eggers, Shanks, Prince, Crabtree and Buckles each had a hit. Cannon allowed three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.
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