Trojans Use Three Homers To Subdue Ooltewah, 5-3, In 5-AAA Baseball

Soddy-Daisy Will Take On East Hamilton Tuesday In Title Game

  • Monday, May 4, 2015
  • Special to Chattanoogan.com

ATHENS, Tenn. – Soddy-Daisy played long-ball Monday night to keep their hopes alive in the District 5-AAA baseball tournament at McMinn County High School.

Center-fielder Tre Carter hit the game’s first pitch for a solo home run, the Trojans added two more round-trippers and slipped past Ooltewah, 5-3, in an elimination game.

“We were spot on today,” said Carter, who slammed his seventh homer of the season off Ooltewah’s left-handed starter Caleb Collins.

“Last year I had none, although I hit 10 balls off the fence. I had warning track power.”

The top-seeded Trojans earned a rematch with East Hamilton in the championship game Tuesday at 5 p.m.  The “if necessary” game would follow about 20 minutes later.

“I’m hoping we’re going to have a long day up there (Tuesday),” Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley said while watching the Soddy-Daisy-Walker Valley tournament game at Bradley Central after making the short drive down from Athens.

East Hamilton edged the Trojans, 3-1, in eight innings on Sunday and earned a spot in the Region 3-AAA tournament next week.

“I thought we bounced back from Sunday’s loss with a much better attitude,” Hensley said. “We were a lot more businesslike today and we’re all excited to have the opportunity to play for the championship.

“We put ourselves in a hole with Sunday’s loss. We’re going to try and get ourselves out of it.”

Soddy-Daisy had claimed its regional berth by nailing down the No. 1 seed after a sterling regular season.

By this stage, the Trojans and Hurricanes, the tournament’s second seed, know each other well.

And if Carter faces old buddy Nick Woods in the title game, his knowledge of the Hurricanes’ right-hander goes much deeper.

“I’ve played with him the past two summers,” Carter said. “But in school ball I haven’t been able to hit him much at all. In fact, I haven’t done well against him since middle school ball. I’m looking forward to having another crack at him Tuesday.”

Gavin Rogers also hit a solo homer in the first inning to give the Trojans a quick 2-0 lead.

Dillon Clift, the designated hitter, smacked a two-run blast in the fifth for Soddy-Daisy’s final runs.

“We had a lot more enthusiasm today,” Clift said. “It was a night-and-day difference from Sunday. We had people making plays. I got robbed on the last play of Sunday’s game, but their pitcher left one right over the plate and I was able to my third home run.”

Colin Kearney threw six strong innings, limiting the Owls to six hits and three runs. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

Logan Workman pitched the seventh and picked up his first career save.

Kearney, then a sophomore, was brilliant in last year’s championship game against Bradley Central, pitching into the seventh with a three-hit shutout before putting two runners on base and giving way to reliever Oz Perez.  

Perez hit a batter to load the bases and Calfee delivered his clutch game-winning walk-off hit to left field.

“Kearney has been great all year,” Hensley said. “Colin would probably tell you he didn’t have his ‘A’ stuff, but he had it when he needed to make big pitches.

Jackson Malcolm, Mitch Duncan and London Elrod each had a double, with Elrod driving in two runs. Tyler Robertson went 2-for-3.

LINESCORE

Ooltewah                          010 200 0 – 3 7 1

Soddy-Daisy                   201 020 x – 5 4 1

Collins, Mahoney (6) and Vantiegham; Kearney, Workman 7) and Cordell.

Tuesday Schedule

At McMinn County High School

East Hamilton vs. Soddy-Daisy, 5 p.m.

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

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