Cyclones District Tourney game vs Blue Devils suspended, HV tops West Greene

Published 11:18 pm Sunday, May 7, 2023

In a game that should have been remembered as being a fantastic game between two established rivals, it very well may be remembered as the last game the 2023 Betsy Baseball seniors get to play. The Cyclones were nursing an 11-9 lead going into the seventh inning; the Blue Devils responded with one out by getting a base hit and then another base hit sending the Unicoi runner to third. As the Unicoi runner was jogging into third, contact with Elizabethton pitcher Steve Meadows who was covering third on the play was made and words were exchanged leading to a fight and both teams leaving their respective dugouts. After a lengthy delay and two raucous fan bases jawing at each other, officials made the decision to suspend the game.

TSSAA made the call later in the evening that the game would not be continued the following day and that the offices of  Mark Reeves, TSSAA Executive Director, handed down a decision early Monday morning that both teams were removed from postseason play

Unicoi would score two in the bottom of the first, only to see Elizabethton respond with five runs in the second and two runs in the third to go up 7-2. Brilee Hurley would shoot a single past shortstop to get the Cyclones on the board, Bryson Rowland, Peyton Johnson and Kaleb Hambrick would all grab hits in the inning to help put the five spot on the board. The Blue Devils would tie things up in the fourth inning, scoring five of their own, but once again, the Cyclones would have a big inning in the fifth, scoring four off three walks and a hit by a pitch in the inning to their advantage. Brayden Buckles would get a single in the inning to help keep things moving

Once again, the Blue Devils would respond with a couple of runs in their half of the inning, making the score 11-9 and pushing the game towards its marred finish. Hurley and Johnson both had multiple hits in the contest.

In other weekend High School action.

The Happy Valley Lady Warriors extended their season in walk-off fashion, down 5-2, winning the opening game of the District 1-2A tournament in dramatic fashion. With the win, the Lady Warriors will advance to play Chuckey-Doak on Monday night.

The Lady Warriors got on the board first when Aleah Grindstaff would grab a walk and the steal second after a Reagan Street grounder would advance Grindstaff to third, Ella Marvel would hit a single into shallow left to make it 1-0 Warriors. The Lady Warriors would pick up another run as Trinity Bowers came home from another Grindstaff walk. The score would stay 2-0 until the fifth, when the West Greene Buffs would use six hits in a row to put five runs on the board, making it a 5-2 advantage for West Greene.

With things looking bleak, HV would respond in a big way, Street and Juley Nieminski would both grab walks and then Marvel would get an infield single to load the bases. Walks by Trista Bowers and Trinity Bowers and then Maliyah Green would be hit by a pitch to tie things up at five. West Greene would get their second out off a pop-up to the pitcher; Grindstaff would then work the count to 3-2 and then lay off ball four, sending Trinity Bowers home for the winning run.

Marvel would go 2-3 in the contest, while Grindstaff would score three runs. Street would chip in a hit on the night.