SWEETWATER, Tenn. - Signal Mountain made history here Friday, advancing to the Spring Fling in baseball for the first time.
The Eagles, who had been to previous sectional games but no further, accomplished the feat by overpowering host Sweetwater 3-0.
The hammer didn't come at the plate but on the mound in the person of senior Seth Wicker, the lanky left-hander who will continue his baseball career at Lee University.
"We knew their starter would keep them in the game, but we scratched three runs and Seth did the rest," Eagles coach Josh Gandy said. "He stayed within himself the whole game - threw three pitches for strikes, again. I'm ecstatic. Seth throws each pitch with a purpose, whether he's getting a pop-up or a groundout."
In a game that look about 80 minutes, Wicker (9-1) was in his element. Throwing just 84 pitches, he faced the minimum 21 batters in a seven-strikeout, one-hit performance.
"Coming into a game like this, you prepare yourself with the thoughts of throwing strikes and pounding the zone," he said. "I wasn't tense before the game. I don't think anybody was, and I never tensed up during the game."
The one baserunner he allowed, on a third-inning infield single, was erased on a double play started by shortstop Drew Lowry. He fielded a hot shot, raced to second and then threw to first.
"The defense made a lot of plays tonight, especially Grant (Galbraith). There were a lot of balls hit his way, and he made some amazing plays," Wicker said.
Galbraith, normally a center fielder, moves to third base and Ryan Sekenski to first when Wicker is pitching.
"One play was a high chopper that had him going to his left," Gandy said. "I don't know if anybody else could make that play, and without it they have the tying run at the plate."
There was good defense across the field.
"And even the last out (a pop-up to short) was a really good play," Gandy added. "It was a complete game for the team."
Garland Wood was the only Eagle with two hits. In the third inning he stroked a double to left field and scored the game's second run on Lowry's sacrifice fly.
"We just played within ourselves," Wood said. "The first time I realized how the game was really going was in the fourth inning and their leadoff hitter was coming up for only the second time. I knew then we were going to do well."
Signal's first run was generated by Colin Farr, who tripled with two outs in the second inning and scored on a wild pitch.
The Eagles made it 3-0 in the sixth when Galbraith singled and never slowed on his way to second after the center fielder bobbled the ball. He scored on Wicker's groundout to second.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.