'Canes Edge Mustangs On Cox's Game-Winner In 7th

 Maybe it was just East Hamilton’s turn to win a tight game.

After dropping 5-4 and 2-1 decisions to District 5-AAA rivals Bradley Central and McMinn County, respectively, the Hurricanes weren’t about to lose their third straight one-run decision in league play on Tuesday.

So, Kyle Cox and Matt Milita, two of the team’s five seniors, decided to do something about it.

Milita, a speedy center fielder, reached first on Walker Valley shortstop Zach Wilcox’s throwing error, maneuvered his way around to third and scored on Cox’s game-winning single to right field as the Hurricanes edged Walker Valley, 4-3, to keep pace with district-leading Soddy-Daisy.

“This is great,” Cox said.

“We’ve had a lot of close games and almost all our losses have been by one run, so it’s great to have a one-run game go in our favor.”

The win improved East Hamilton, the district’s defending regular-season champion, to 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the district. The Mustangs fell to 8-5 and 2-4.

Soddy-Daisy (7-1) suffered its first district loss with a 4-3 setback at Bradley Central. The Trojans left the bases loaded with none out in the third and fourth innings, loaded with one out in the fifth and runners at second and third with one out in the sixth.

McMinn County was 3-2 going into Tuesday play.

“The reality is that we’re concerned about us and trying to get better every day,” Hurricanes coach Steve Garland said. “Of course, we know what the district standings are. We know we have Cleveland next week and then Ooltewah before our last series against Soddy-Daisy. But, we do have to stay alive the rest of the way.”

In the Hurricanes’ seventh, Milita, who singled and scored the Hurricanes’ first run in the third inning, grounded to short and was safe when Wilcox’s throw sailed high, pulling first baseman Dillan Church off the bag.

Milita stole second and went to third when Mustangs reliever Kyle Goins threw the ball into center field on a pickoff attempt.

Cox worked Goins to a 3-2 count and powered a high fly ball over right-fielder Jacob McCall’s head and Milita jogged home with the winning run.

“In that situation, coach (Garland) always teaches us to read the infield and they were all playing in,” Cox said. “That means you want to hit the ball to the outfield and at least get a sacrifice fly. It doesn’t have to be real deep. I wasn’t trying to do too much because I knew a sacrifice fly would be enough.”

Cox’s drive sent McCall’s gliding back toward the fence and the ball fell in about 10 feet behind him as Milita approached home plate.

“I’ve said it before that any time you get a district win it’s big,” Milita said. “This district is fairly even from top to bottom and to get a sweep against Walker Valley is huge. We have speed at the top of the order and if we get runners on we’ll usually get them over. Kyle got the big hit to score me.”

Said Garland, “In that situation, Kyle came up with a clutch hit. We’re still early in the season based on the amount of time all baseball teams have missed in February and early March. We’re still learning how to win. We’ve lost a couple of close ones like this, so it was good to win a close one.”

Walker Valley coach Joe Shamblin was clearly miffed at his team’s back-to-back losses, and said so.

“My hat’s off to East Hamilton because they did what they had to do sweep this series,” he said. “But I don’t know if we could play two worse games than we’ve played in these last two. I’m frustrated. My teams in the past have always on that second game, if they lost the first one, knew they better do something good.

“We came out just like (Monday). We were lackadaisical, like it was just another ballgame. It was not fun to watch at all.”

East Hamilton starter Hunter Smith and Walker Valley’s Elijah Haynie were locked in a pitcher’s duel for five innings.

Smith, who has three no-decisions this season, retired the first six before Grayson Rountree led off the third with a single to center and stole second. Brian Rountree walked and both runners moved up on Avery Jones’ groundout. Haynie walked to load the bases, but Dillan Church lined out to second.

The Hurricanes broke through against Haynie in the third. Milita bunted his way on and Cox drew a walk. Nick Woods’ sacrifice fly scored Milita with the game’s first run and Cox came home on Nick Fahler’s hit to right.

Walker Valley got to Smith for two runs, tying the game in the fourth inning.

Stu Clark and Tucker Mendenhall each singled and Ben Clark walked to load the bases with none out.

The opportunity was golden.

Rountree’s walk forced in the first run and Mendenhall scored when Oliver hit into a double play. Zach Wilcox lined out hard to third, ending the threat.

The inning could have been better for the Mustangs.

“We’re not getting big hits in big situations,” Shamblin said. “When we get the bases loaded and nobody out, somebody’s got to hit a ball to the gap. We haven’t gotten that all year, but I think it will come.”

Mendenhall singled to start the sixth, Ben Clark walked. On the first pitch to Rountree, Mendenhall and Clark were off and running and the Mustangs’ second baseman punched a single through the left side to the exact spot Woods, playing shortstop, vacated when he broke to cover second.

The hit produced Walker Valley’s go-ahead run.

Smith, a left-hander, escaped further damage by striking out Oliver and getting Wilcox on a fly ball to center.

“I threw pretty well,” Smith said. “The tempo kind of changed up a little bit and I just lost my rhythm in the fourth inning. You can’t let that get to you; you just had to push through it.”

East Hamilton tied the game at 3-all when Josh Aslinger and Garett Stone walked to start its half of the sixth. They moved over on Matt Watters’ sacrifice bunt and Aslinger scored on Garrett Owen’s sacrifice fly to center.

Woods came on in relief and set the Mustangs down in order on just 10 pitches, getting the last two batters with strikeouts.

“Nick was lights out,” Garland said. “We normally wouldn’t go to a closer until we had the lead, but playing at home and having the last at-bat we decided to go with Nick if we got the game tied, which we were able to do.”

That set the stage for the heroics by Milita and Cox in the seventh.

“We’ve got the makings of a good team here and we’re playing better ball,” Garland said. “We’ve won three in a row, our longest streak of the season, but things don’t just fall into place on their own. Our young guys have to buy in to what we’re doing. This isn’t the first time the coaching staff has done this.”

LINESCORE

Walker Valley                               000 201 0 – 3 5 5

East Hamilton                               002 001 1 – 4 5 0

Haynie, Goins (6) and Oliver; Smith, Woods (7) and Fahler.

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