Bradley Central Falls To Stewarts Creek, 1-0, In Class 3A Sectional Baseball

Bears Let Superb Season Slip Away With Shutout Loss To Red Hawks

  • Saturday, May 21, 2016
  • Larry Fleming

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Stewarts Creek came into Southeast Tennessee on Saturday and took on the two best teams District 5-3A had to offer.

The Red Hawks got a five-hit shutout from right-hander Austin Steel and the only run he needed in the second inning to knock off district and region tournament champion Bradley Central, 1-0, before a capacity crowd at Toby McKenzie Baseball Complex.

A few hours earlier, the Lady Red Hawks pulled off another upset by beating Ooltewah, 6-2, to end the Lady Owls’ season, which included 41 wins and district and regional tourney championships as well.

Stewarts Creek, a third-year school, will have two spring teams at the state tournament next week in Murfreesboro.

Bradley Central, riding an eight-game winning streak before the Red Hawks flew into town, ended the season with a 28-7 mark and a bat rack full of disappointment.

“We’re certainly disappointed ending the season like this,” Bears coach Travis Adams said. “We just couldn’t figure out how to tie the game. That’s one of the best teams we’ve played this year and that kid (Steel) hides a lot of what they may not have on the field.”

Steel (8-1) retired the first seven and kept the Bears (28-7) at bay the entire game. He retired the last six to nail down the victory, finishing with three strikeouts and no walks. The Bears stranded six baserunners, four in scoring position.

Stewarts Creek produced its only run in the second inning when Daniel Freeman doubled to right with one out and came home on Maddox Von Dohlen’s two-out single.

“We lost district and region championship games to Siegel and we were discouraged for about 30 minutes,” said Steel, who has thrown three consecutive shutouts. “Every year we always expect to win championships because we have players good enough to do that.”

Siegel survived a scare in its sectional against Region 3-3A runner-up Rhea County, winning 2-1, and advancing to the state tournament along with Stewarts Creek.

The lone Red Hawk run held up and handed Bradley’s Brandon Thompson his first loss after 10 straight wins. Thompson, who shared All-District 5-3A Player of the Year honors with teammate Gunnar Norwood, was in and out of trouble most of a game that took less than two hours to play.

The Red Hawks (22-15), who lost to Siegel in the District 7-3A and Region 4-3A title games, stranded eight runners over the first five innings, but actually already had the only run they needed to post the school’s most important baseball win in is short history.

“I feel unbelievable,” said Steel (8-1). “I’m just ecstatic. After the first inning both pitchers threw well, but that run in the second inning made me as calm as could be.”

Several times Steel pumped his fist and raced off the field after teammates denied the Bears’ offense inning after inning.

Red Hawks coach Mike Bartlett has become well aware that his staff’s No. 1 starter has the ability to throw gems each time he takes the mound.

“He always works fast and is a great strike thrower,” Bartlett said. “And he’s an unbelievable competitor. His main weapon is a fastball and has two curves – a hard one and a show-me curve just to get it over the plate.”

Thompson worked equally fast and the game moved at a remarkable pace. Each pitcher wasted no time in getting the ball and throwing the next pitch. It was a thing of beauty.

Only one error blemished the defensive effort by both squads. Thompson fielded a bunt and threw wildly to first base that put runners at first and third with one out in the fourth. The Bears dodged a bullet when Thompson retired Corey Perkins on a pop to short and Gresham Mosley on a lazy pop to second.

“I started off rough because I wasn’t finding my pitches,” Thompson said. “I was very surprised that we weren’t able to score any runs. We didn’t hit as a team.”

Jeremiah Sims had two of Bradley’s hits, but never got past first base. He was scratched in a double play in the third and wiped out with a force out – the third out – in the fifth.

Bradley got two hits – singles by Jake Presley and Dylan Standifer – in the sixth only to have Kylar Lynn fly out to center ending the threat.

In the seventh, Thompson led off with a single to center. Sims’ sacrifice bunt moved Pete Williams, running for Thompson, to second. Gunnar Norwood flied out to right and Hunter James grounded out to end the game and the Bears’ hopes for their first state appearance since 2007.

“It goes back to our idea of how to create innings,” Adams said. “Get a runner on base and bunt him over. (Steel) reminded me of C.J. Webb (at Cookeville). We figured him out this year (Webb beat the Bears in the region final two years ago), but it was tough creating opportunities today even though we were playing for one run.

“We couldn’t get a two-out hit and that was critical. We actually did a good job otherwise to keep it to a one-run game. (Tyler) Carpenter throwing the kid out at home plate in the fifth was a critical defensive play. We started the season with a lot of kids that weren’t battle-tested as we’d like, but this has been one of the most fun seasons I’ve had. The kids like to work and get dirty.”

Boxscore

Stewarts Creek                 010 000 0 – 1 8 0

Ooltewah                             000 000 0 – 0 5 1

Steel and McClellan; Thompson and Lynn.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)

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