East Hamilton's Nick Fahler carved his name in the school's history books Monday, and the Hurricanes' first postseason victory on their home field left a visible mark on the senior pitcher.
Just before icing his right arm that had stifled Warren County in the Hurricanes' 10-1 Region 3-AAA semifinal victory, Fahler displayed the seam marks just above his pitching elbow. Fahler, who bats left-handed, had been hit by a pitch during a fateful fourth inning for both teams.
Fahler caught an inside fastball on his pitching arm, allowing the Hurricanes (20-9) to load the bases on just three Warren County pitches into the fourth. The adrenaline of the moment dulled the pain for Fahler, as he was one of four men to score in a game-changing inning in which nine East Hamilton players batted.
East Hamilton baseball coach Steve Garland coaches 3rd base during their prep baseball game against Soddy-Daisy on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at East Hamilton High School in Ooltewah."I wasn't that nervous starting the game. I knew I had a job to do, and we were confident that we could win," Fahler said of the elimination game. "But when I got hit, I was actually kind of worried that my arm would stiffen up. I just kept moving in the dugout and I put it in the ice bucket.
"The first couple of pitches (in the fifth) felt a little weird, but I was fine," added the senior who scattered four hits and struck out six batters in seven innings while also batting in two runs. "I have to give credit to my teammates and the bats. They all came through, and it makes it easy to pitch when you have some runs to work with."
The Hurricanes will host the winner of the Soddy-Daisy and Cookeville semifinal in Wednesday's title game.
"To win a playoff game on our field is really cool," said East Hamilton coach Steve Garland. "This is our fourth time going through the regionals and all. I encouraged the guys to enjoy it, and they played well.
"The thing I was most proud of was the discipline at the plate today. We sat back and let the ball travel," Garland added. "The guys are buying in at the right time and getting hot at the right time."
After surrendering an unearned run that tied the game in the top of the fourth, the Hurricanes got RBI hits from Hunter Smith, Garett Stone and Matt Milita. East Hamilton put two more on the board in the fifth behind Josh Aslinger's second hit and an RBI by Fahler.
Nick Woods' RBI single was the highlight of a three-run sixth inning and gave Fahler plenty of room to close out the complete game.
"Fahler's been great all year, and he's pitched the money games for us," Garland said. "But let me tell you what Nick has done. He was our primary catcher and a relief pitcher as a junior last year. He had a great desire to be a pitcher, and he has worked hard during the summer and fall to make himself a tough pitcher. I couldn't be more proud of him."
For his part, Fahler was humbled to be a part of school history and being on the mound for the first postseason win on the East Hamilton field.
"I'm honored. It's nice to have the opportunity," Fahler said. "We've been playing good ball. We want to keep it and ride this out."
Contact Greg Thompson at sports@timesfreepress.com.