Pickens Picks Up Split with Panthers

Featured Stories, Team FYN Sports

The Pickens High School Dragons baseball team split its double header with the Chapel Hill Panthers, falling in the first game 9-8 and winning the second game, called in the bottom of the fifth due to time constraints, 12-11.The day began with the Dragons on fire. Tanner Brumby put Pickens up 2-0, with a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning of game one. An RBI single by Colton Prather in the bottom of the second saw Pickens lead increase to 3-0 going into the third inning.

The Panthers picked up a run via error in the top of the third, cutting the lead to 3-1. The next inning saw Chapel Hill tie the game 3-3. The Panthers’ offense erupted in the top of the six for five runs and an 8-3 lead. The top of the seventh saw one more Panthers’ run for a 9-3 advantage.

The Dragons heated up in the bottom of the seventh. After a lead off fly out, Pickens picked up five straight hits, including back to back to back RBI singles from Brumby, Dylan Clark, and Jesse Decker that cut the lead to 9-6.

Following another out, Cameron Gregory’s line two run single cut the lead to one; however a strike out ended game one, with a 9-8 Chapel Hill win.

The Panthers pounced on Pickens early in game two, scoring eight runs in the first inning; however the early deficit did not extinguish the Dragons’ fire. Pickens picked up three runs in the bottom of the first inning to cut the lead to 8-3 going into the second. A Clark RBI single and two runs walked in did the damage.

The Dragons heated up again in the bottom of the second. Brian Morris’ one out RBI single with bases loaded cut the lead to 8-4. Immediately afterward, Gregory was hit by a pitch scoring the fifth run. Decker stole home for the sixth run. Prather’s two run double tied the game 8-8.

Shortly after Prather’s game tying double, there was a bit of hullaballoo which ended with a Chapel Hill coach being ejected and that coach ranting to the umpires, coaches, teams, and fans about the “simply terrible” job he felt the umpires were doing.

Chapel Hill Coach Rant After Ejection

Witnesses said that the umpire made a disparaging remark about the number of errors made by the Panthers’ players when the coach complained about inconsistency in the calls causing the game to be delayed. This remark is what was reported as the catalyst for the eruption.

Chapel Hill broke the tie, adding two more runs for a 10-8 lead in the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third Pickens picked up its first lead of the game. Dylan Childers’ one out bases loaded RBI single cut the lead to 10-9. Zack Herman followed Childers with a two run double that put Pickens up 11-10 headed into the fourth.

In the bottom of the fourth Clark’s RBI single added one more run for a 12-10 lead. The Panthers picked up one more run in the top of the fifth and the last inning, due to both coaches agreeing to end the game early because of the late hour.

After the Panthers’ run scored, three straight outs ended the game with Pickens picking up the 12-11 victory.

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