WHITWELL, Tenn. - Not even a solid night on the mound and at the plate could spare E.J. Cagle from a little extra running Tuesday night.
South Pittsburg's senior right-hander allowed just three hits, struck out seven and was 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead his team to a five-inning 19-3 win over host Whitwell for the District 5-A baseball championship. But moments after being congratulated by Pirates coach Brian Paris, Cagle was instructed to run two sets of outfield sprints, pole-to-pole.
"E.J. rushed himself a little, but he still found a way to get it done, and that's all the matters," Paris said. "I couldn't be more proud with the way we came out and were aggressive at the plate. Our hitters gave E.J. enough support early that he was able to just relax and throw."
In taking their fifth straight district title, and seventh in the last eight years, the Pirates scored at least three runs in every inning and collected 17 total hits. Senior Cade Kennemore set the tone with a leadoff single and later scored when Garrett Raulston drew a bases-loaded walk. Reese Genter followed with an RBI single, and the scoring barrage was on.
Senior Travis Rowell had a pair of two-run doubles and Raulston blasted a three-run home run to lead South Pittsburg's offense, which finished with six extra-base hits. Rowell and Raulston each drove in five runs, while Mason Fuqua was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
"That felt great to get so many runs before I even walked out there to start pitching," Cagle said. "The way we're hitting right now really takes a lot of the pressure off our pitchers. I feel really confident in my team right now. We're playing the best we have all season."
Trace Condra led off the home half of the first with an infield hit and later drilled a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence to finish with two of Whitwell's three hits.
South Pittsburg (20-10) will host the second-place team from District 6 in Monday's Region 3 semifinals, while Whitwell will travel to the District 6 champion.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.