Norwood 2-hitter lifts Bradley past Trojans, 2-1

Baseball tile
Baseball tile

Bradley Central finally got that crucial two-game District 5-AAA baseball lead that brings an automatic region berth.

Whether the Bears can hold it depends on their performance tonight and a two-game series next week with McMinn County.

They left Soddy-Daisy Tuesday night, though, feeling mighty good after securing a 2-1 victory over the Trojans.

The Bears did it with flawless defense and seven-strikeout, two-hit pitching from Gunnar Norwood. Neither team was charged with an error.

"That's the way baseball was meant to be played," Bradley coach Travis Adams said. "We left some runners in scoring position, but it was a good effort overall."

The pressure is still on, however. To secure that region berth the district winner has to have at least a two-game edge at the end of the regular season. Bradley is 9-0 in the district, two games ahead of second-place Soddy-Daisy (7-2).

"We scattered eight hits and left some on the table," Adams said. "Not getting those guys in when we're on second and third could have been crucial, but at the same time they're doing their job and their pitcher (Gavin Rogers) was making some good pitches."

While his offense left eight runners on base - six in scoring position with one or no outs - Norwood was on, spotting his pitches for strikes and pitching ahead in the count.

"I can't say enough about Gunnar's effort. We never looked at the bullpen," Adams said. "Even after their home run he stayed steady. That's a tough, scrappy lineup to hold down like that."

His lineup getting just two hits was a huge disappointment to Trojans coach Jared Hensley, who shouldered the blame for a loss last week to Ooltewah and the team's showing Tuesday night.

"Our (offensive) approach wasn't very good. We weren't very disciplined and it's completely my fault. We didn't do what we talked about," he said. "We should've been more prepared. We'll make the proper adjustments and get after it tomorrow."

The Trojans' run came on designated hitter Grant Cordell's long home run to left-center.

"There was a little bit of time there when I lost my curveball command and he hit it over the trees, but our defense was as good as it's been all year," Norwood observed.

"His fastball command was good and he was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes," Adams said. "It was probably 75 percent spot fastballs, and he was hitting his spots and staying ahead in the counts, and when the defense is playing (well) it's easier for a pitcher to get comfortable."

Sick as he was, battling nausea that comes with a flu bug, leadoff man Cason Still did his job, reaching base twice - on a single to lead off the game and after getting hit on a 3-2 count. He scored on a single by Tyler Carpenter and on a Dylan Standifer hit.

A freshman hitting in the four-hole for the Bears, Standifer went 3-for-4, pushing his season average just shy of .400.

* Hixson moved a game ahead of Central in 6-AA, denying the Pounders a shot at gaining at least a share of the district championship. The Wildcats' Tanner Moyland pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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