LEBANON, Tenn. – Greg Payne made it clear the day before that he expected another serious duel with Brentwood Academy.
The McCallie baseball coach got it Tuesday, but Payne was still trying to unwind more than a half-hour after the final pitch of his team’s 1-0 victory.
Chalk up one for Palmer Steventon, who went the distance and scattered six hits as the Blue Tornado began the quest for its second Division II-AA state title with a shutout win.
“It wasn’t the best I’ve seen from him, but it was certainly the gutsiest. He didn’t have his best fastball or his best control, but when he had to have a great pitch he came up with it,” Payne said of the Lipscomb University commitment.
The teams, who played two extra-inning games in their three-game regular-season series, battled scorelessly through the first four innings.