COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Soddy-Daisy killed a few birds with one stone Monday night with its 3-0 win over Cookeville in the Region 3-AAA baseball semifinals.
Not only did the Trojans (21-10) keep their season alive and qualify for a sectional berth, but they also ended a two-game postseason losing streak to the Cavaliers.
Though it was another matchup against the District 6-AAA team, Trojans coach Jared Hensley said that wasn’t his players’ focus.
Jared Hensley“We kind of got caught up in focusing on the opponent the last couple of weeks in the season, and I don’t think that we really responded well,” he admitted. “Tonight we were going to focus on Soddy-Daisy, and we wanted to focus on the game of baseball. We knew what we were getting into with these guys.”
Middle Tennessee State signee Andy Wright shut down the Cookeville offense, holding the Cavaliers (28-3-1) to one hit while striking out 13.
“Andy Wright has gotten stronger as the year has gone on, which we expected,” Hensley said. “I couldn’t be any more proud of him than I am right now. If any kid deserves a moment like that in a big game, it’s him.”
Soddy-Daisy scratched across all the offense it needed in the second and third innings. In the second, Cale Morgan legged out a two-out infield single that allowed Grant Cordell to score. That hit came after the Cavaliers had nearly escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam when pitcher T.J. Webb induced a 1-2-3 double play.
In the third, the Cavs elected to intentionally walk Wright with two outs to load the bases. Cordell made them pay, ripping a two-run single that scored Chandler Sulcer and Jimbo Collins.
Webb gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings for Cookeville. He fanned seven. Jacob Edgington struck out the side and walked two in a scoreless seventh inning.
Stephen Mills had the Cavs’ lone hit, a flare to right in the third inning.