Sale Creek players did not rush the mound or throw their gloves in the air after Monday’s 13-5 District 5-A championship clinching victory over Lookout Valley.
The Panthers once again showed confidence in their ability on the diamond as Jimmy Pierce’s group claimed their second straight district title with relative ease as they jumped out to a 10-o lead in front of a riled-up home crowd.
“This senior class as sophomores came one game away from making the region tournament,” Pierce said. “All we had to do was beat Tellico once at our place to make it and they beat us twice that year. So we were knocking on the door. Last year our guys were really hungry and excited to win the school’s first district title in 42 years. This year they felt like they had a really good team and they have played with confidence all season long.”
Garrett Pickett and Camden Penny provided a big spark with their bats as each had three hits. Pickett drove in a pair of runs along with Cristian Moreno while the Sale Creek shortstop made a spectacular, run-saving leaping grab to end Lookout Valley’s rally in the fifth inning.
Penny doubled along with Sam Riddle and Justin Griffin, while Javan O’Kelley’s sacrifice bunt helped spark a three-run second. Lookout Valley’s Jacob Winchester smacked a two-run home run in the fourth inning and drove in three runs.