Trojans Beat Eagles 4-3 On Couch's Walk-Off Single In Seventh

Signal Mountain rolled into Saturday afternoon’s high school baseball game against Soddy-Daisy riding a nine-game winning streak.

The Eagles outscored the last six opponents in the streak by a combined 87-15, including a 26-2 rout of Red Bank just prior to taking on the Trojans.

Soddy-Daisy used five pitchers to contain the Eagles, overcame a solid start by Signal Mountain sophomore Dominic Guagenti and got a clutch game-winning single by sophomore Aaron Couch in the seventh inning and posted a 4-3 victory in the rain-plagued Soddy-Daisy Class.

Because of wet conditions on Soddy-Daisy’s home field, the game was played at Red Bank High School.

“That felt pretty good to help these guys get a win,” said Couch, who ripped a single down the right-field foul line for the game-winning hit off Eagles reliever Foster Wood. “I didn’t feel pressure really. I just try to step up there and do my best on every at-bat.”

Trojans coach Jared Hensley elaborated on Couch’s late-inning heroics.

“He’s been good for us all year on the mound and at the plate,” Hensley said. “On Thursday, he came on in relief and got touched up a little bit and we ended up tied with Rhea County and he beat himself up over that.

“Aaron definitely made up for it today to get us a win heading into next week with a little confidence.”

Soddy-Daisy (10-13) had dropped five in a row and gave up two games in its own classic to give out-of-town games a chance to get in as many games as possible.

“We gave up two games last year and did the same thing this year,” Hensley said. “We’ve been fortunate to bring in some really good teams from Collierville to Knoxville with Central and Halls this year and Wilson Central also played this year. I want to make sure those out-of-town teams have a good experience.”

In the Trojans’ seventh, Wood gave up a leadoff single to Joshua Perez, but he was wiped out at second when Jacob Jennings’ bouncer back to the mound. Justin Cooke followed with a single to left. Harrison Travis infield single loaded the bases.

Travis’ grounder pulled first baseman Seth Wicker away from the bag, second baseman Briston Reese fielded the ball, but had no one to throw the ball to at first.

Addison Roberts’ grounder forced Cooke at second for the second out but Jennings scored to tie the game at 3-all.

Couch then delivered his game-ending RBI single.

Signal Mountain (22-5) had taken a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning without the benefit of a hit. With two out Drew Lowry drew a walk off Chris Branam. Garett Hensley walked. The runners advanced on a passed ball and Grant Galbraith’s walk loaded the bases. Lowry scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

“To hold that team (Signal Mountain) to three runs was a good job for us,” Hensley said. “That team is going to be a handful for every Double-A team across the state if they play to their capabilities. They’ve got the tools to make a deep run (in the postseason) and we’re pulling for them.”

Guagenti got off to a rough start, giving up two runs in the first inning.

With one out Jennings bunted toward third and reached when Guagenti misplayed the ball into an error. Cooke singled and with two out Roberts’ infield hit loaded the bases. Couch walked to force in the game’s first run. Luke Ellis’ walk enabled Cooke to cross home plate.

“I didn’t make the play on the bunt and then gave up a couple of hits and walked two, so the error definitely affected me,” Guagenti said. “I threw the ball well after that.”

Guagenti settled down and limited the Trojans to one hit over the next four innings. Perez was hit by a pitch starting the fifth ahead of Jennings’ bunt single. Cooke struck out and Travis hit into a force-out. Roberts flied out to deep center ending the threat.

Guagenti said he has three appearances this season covering about “11 or 12 innings.”

He added, “This was one of my better games and I’m happy to see that I’m getting better.”

Said Eagles coach Josh Gandy of Guagenti’s impressive effort, “Once he started throwing strikes he did great against a good team. Things don’t bother him a whole lot and he just goes out there and does what he needs to. I was proud of him.”

Trojans starter Spencer Keylon, making his second appearance since a surgical procedure on his left knee in December, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second before reaching his prescribed pitch limit and heading to the dugout for the day.

Seth Wicker singled and Garland Wood flied out to right. Ryan Sekenski reached on an infield single off Keylon’s foot. Reese struck out. Scott Payne walked to load the bases. Alec Woollums bounced back to the mound to end the inning.

“Spencer went as long as he could,” Hensley said. “He had a bone replacement surgery in December and just got released a week or so ago and we’re easing him back into it and he did great. If he keeps throwing like that, we may extend him even more than we want or he wants to.”

Sekenski’s two-run double in the third off reliever Luke Workman tied the game at 2-2.

Before the game was over, Hensley trotted Tanner Brown, Branam and Zane Guess out to the mound to face the Eagles’ tough lineup.

All the while Hensley was thinking ahead to next week when the Trojans face a tough three-day stretch against District 5-3A opponents.

Soddy-Daisy begins its short grind with single games against McMinn County in a home-and-home series on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday the Trojans and Bradley Central Bears finished a game suspended by rain and then play a full seven-inning contest.

“We’ve got 3 ½ games in three days with a lot on the line,” Hensley said.

LINESCORE

Signal Mountain        002 001 0 – 3 8 1

Soddy-Daisy              200 000 2 – 4 6 0

Guagenti, Wood (6) and Payne; Keylon, Workman (3), Brown (4), Branam (6), Guess (7) and Travis.

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