BENTON, Tenn. – While it wasn’t a game coach Bill Triplett will pin up on his wall of fame, Polk County’s win over Bradley Central on Thursday may well become a cornerstone if the Wildcats have any postseason success.
The Wildcats overcame six errors and rallied three times – once to regain the lead, once to tie and once more in the eighth to secure a 6-5 win over the Bears, Triplett’s first against Bradley in seven years as Polk’s coach. The victory avenged a 5-3 loss to the Bears earlier this season.
“I had started to question our guts,” Triplett said in reference to his team’s 7-4 District 5-AA loss Wednesday to Sequoyah. “I wondered if we would be resilient. This win, well, I told the guys don’t allow me to question our desire or ability again.”
Triplett felt the players, many of them holdovers from the 2010 sectional finalists, had placed undue expectations on themselves.
“We were trying to lighten it up in the dugout and keep people from worrying too much about what was happening,” said senior and University of Tennessee signee Jared Allen.