TRENTON, Ga. - The linescore of Dade County's 8-4 win over Pepperell on Tuesday couldn't be correct, right?
Eight runs on two hits?
A Dade team that came in hitting over .350 as a group managed just a pair of hits - one on a bunt - in earning a key Region 7-AA victory. The visiting Dragons, who came in tied with Dade for second place in the region, did most of the damage to themselves with five errors, eight walks, two hit batters and four wild pitches.
The win gives the Wolverines (14-6, 9-2) a two-game lead for second place with three region games remaining.
"We battled to find a way to win our eighth in a row," Dade County coach Aaron Simmons said. "We talk to them all the time about not getting lackadaisical, and unfortunately we came out that way today.
"We knew it was going to come at some point, but we had to find a way to battle through that, and we did. We took advantage of some things, and sometimes in baseball you have to take advantage of what the other team gives you."
Dade got behind 3-0 early on some miscues of its own. Starting pitcher Harley Walker (4-1) allowed only one earned run in five innings, but three early errors cost him two unearned runs entering the bottom of the third.
The Wolverines then went to work - with much help. Number eight hitter Austin Reece hit a one-out double to get things started, with Jack Johnson and Chase Bradford following with walks. The would-be rally seemed to be short-lived, however, when Jordan Heath grounded into a forceout at home.
Greg Templeton, though, followed by reaching on an error, with one run scoring. Walker walked with the bases loaded, Heath scored when Seth Swader was hit by a pitch, Templeton came home on a wild pitch and Walker completed the ugly inning by scoring on another infield error for a 5-3 lead.
"That's the first time all year that we have gotten behind early and battled back to win," said Simmons, whose Dade County team lost in similar fashion earlier in the season. "Austin Reece had that big double for us and got things going. We frustrated their pitchers and their defense.
"We work a lot on trying to find that next base, taking an extra base on that ball in the dirt and making them make a play. It was ugly, but a win is a win, especially at this time of the year. We have five games left to make it stand up."
Wesley Wade made it a one-run game with a leadoff homer in the fifth, but Walker worked through a two-on, no-out situation to get out of the inning and Noah Bone pitched the final two innings for the save.
"We made a few errors, but they didn't bring me down," Walker said. "I just stayed out there and pitched my game. You just don't think about it and focus on the next pitch and finish it."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.