Asa Blake picked up his first varsity baseball pitching victory Thursday with a one-hitter against Central in Cleveland’s 12-0 opening-round victory in the Ooltewah Invitational.
There is an ulterior motive for the sophomore who’ll turn 16 on April 21. He is pitching with an eye on earning his first car.
His father, Milan Blake, a Bradley County commissioner, offered a deal that was quickly accepted.
“I have to get 40 strikeouts,” Asa said.
Forty strikeouts by season’s end will earn him a car along with insurance. But there is a catch: A strikeout is plus-one toward the 40, while issuing a walk is minus-one.