Wave fall to Rossview in region final

CLARKSVILLE Wednesday evening’s Region 5-AAA Tournament championship game was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team gaining much of an advantage without the other returning the favor.

Visiting Gallatin looked poised to break the game open after senior Carlos Hernandez crushed a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to give the Green Wave a 7-5 lead, but Rossview erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the frame en route to a 14-8 victory.

The Green Wave will have to travel to Thompson’s Station to face Summit – a 7-4 winner over Ravenwood in Wednesday’s Region 6-AAA Tournament title tilt – in one of the eight Class AAA sectional contests on Friday, while Rossview will host Ravenwood. Sectional winners advance to next week’s state tournament.

Gallatin (20-11) was in the regional championship game for the first time since 1995 (when it suffered a 10-0 loss to Hendersonville) and hasn’t played in a sectional/substate game since 1989, when the program last won the region title (with a 3-2 win over Beech).

Following Hernandez’s blast, Gallatin had two more baserunners, but Rossview reliever Noah Lewis came on to get a pair of groundouts to prevent further damage.

Rossview (27-12) responded immediately as junior Cody Eby's bunt single scored a run and loaded the bases for senior Collin Baber. Baber belted a shot off of the top of the fence in leftfield for a grand slam as the Hawks took a 10-7 lead.

Rossview – which was actually eliminated from the District 10-AAA Tournament but advanced due to 10-AAA granting its regular-season champion an automatic regional berth – loaded the bases two more times in the bottom of the fifth as two hit batters forced in runs before the outburst ended.

The victory gives Rossview's program its second region title (also winning in 2014). Rossview has never advanced past the sectional, losing in four consecutive seasons (2011-14).

The Green Wave entered the contest having won 10 of their last 11 games and piled up 15 hits on Wednesday, but four Gallatin pitchers combined to issue nine base on balls and to hit three batters.

Green Wave freshman Brady Harris had four hits and scored three runs, and Hernandez, junior Andy Denning, junior Jordan Mason and junior Bailey Russell all had two hits. Denning also drove in three runs.

Gallatin            120 130 1 – 8 15 2

Rossview         200 390 x – 14 11 3

Billy Campbell, Carlos Hernandez (5), Brady Harris (5), Bailey Russell (5) and Bailey Russell, Andy Denning (5); Matthew Reasor, Noah Lewis (5) and David Bowman. WP – Lewis. LP – Hernandez. Home runs: Gallatin – Carlos Hernandez; Rossview – Collin Baber. Records: Gallatin 20-11, Rossview 27-12.