Pickens Picks Up Series Win but Misses Playoffs by One

The Pickens High School Dragons baseball team wrapped up a three game series with the Knights of River Ridge. Despite the series win, the Dragons will not be at the Region “Round Table” as Pickens missed out on making the Region Tournament by one game, finishing fourth in sub region play at 5-7. Pickens is 11-11 overall.In game one, the Dragons faced the Knights at River Ridge, with the home team jumping to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Pickens picked up the lead, with four runs in the top of the third, and added another run in the top of the fourth, for a 5-3 lead.

The bottom of the fifth saw the River Ridge cut the lead to 5-4; however the Dragons’ defense held, and secured the 5-4 victory.

Pickens finished the game with six hits and three errors. River Ridge had seven hits and three errors.

Dragons’ pitcher, Eric Justice, pitched a compete game; giving up seven hits, and one earned run, with six strike outs. Justice also led the Dragons in game one hits, with two, scoring one run.

Zack Herman and Dylan Childers each had a hit and a run scored.

Head coach, Jason Nunn, was ejected during the game due to a heated exchange with the umpire, the result of Nunn receiving a warning after his first meeting with the umpire.

Nunn disagreed with a called strike, and became irate after the warning was issued due to his observing of the River Ridge coach having numerous discussions with the umpire about calls, and receiving no warning.

The ejection resulted in Nunn serving a mandatory two game suspension.

Game two saw the Knights enter the Dragons’ lair, and begun in reverse fashion of game one. Pickens picked up three runs in the bottom of the first.

Childers’ two run single began the scoring, and Bryan Morris’ RBI single scored Dylan Clark for the third run. An RBI single from Dylan Clark in the bottom of the third, put Pickens up 4-0 going into the fourth.

The Knights did not succumb to the Dragons’ hot offensive power, taking a stab at the Dragons’ defense with two runs scored in the top of the fourth.

Colton Prather made it 5-2 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. With both teams trading a run each in the fifth, the score was 6-3 in Pickens favor going into the sixth.

After holding the Knights scoreless the sixth, a lead off triple from Prather in the bottom of the sixth, followed by a sac fly from Justice gave Pickens a 7-3 lead and eventually the win.

Childers pitched all seven innings, giving up four hits and three runs, with a 1.00 ERA. He finished with five strike outs. He also led Pickens in RBI’s in game two with two.

Clark and Zack Hermann each scored two runs in the game, tying for the team lead.

After winning the series with wins in game one and two, the Dragons could not complete the sweep, falling at River Ridge, 1-0.

Justice pitched another complete game, giving up five hits and one run, with a 1.17 ERA. He finished with five strike outs.

Pickens picked up four total hits in the game, one each from: Herman; Clark; Cameron Gregory and Tyler Garner.

Pickens will wrap up the season with a three game series with Lafayette, the first two a double header on April 23, with game one beginning at 4:30, the last being a home game on Thursday April 25th at 6:00pm.