Despite being just three weeks into the season and a seemingly never-ending battle with inclement weather, District 5-AAA has no unbeaten baseball teams remaining.
Ooltewah, the last unbeaten, came up short Tuesday night to visiting Bradley Central, 3-2 - a win that allowed the Bears to scramble back into the regular-season championship race. That win allowed them also to maintain hopes for a first-round postseason tournament bye.
Bradley also figured in the other previously unbeaten team's demise when Walker Valley was forced to forfeit a win due to a pitcher throwing more pitches than are being allowed. The outcome of that game last week left both teams with a loss.
"This district is about as close as you can pair it," Bradley coach Travis Adams said. "This was a pretty good high school baseball game. Both teams earned what they got. They had some hard-hit balls, but our defense carried us."
That featured double plays, none bigger than the 6-4-3 that ended the game with an Owl 90 feet from tying the game.
It was that kind of night for Ooltewah, which stranded a leadoff runner at third in the second on an inning-ended double play and also left runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings.
"We had a lot of opportunities to get on the board," Owls coach Brian Hitchcox said. "Every time we had guys on we hit the ball hard, but they made the plays."
Those missed opportunities cost pitcher Daniel Willie a shot at another win. He gave up the three runs - all earned - but he also had 11 strikeouts and just one walk.
"The way we play it's always going to be tight games, and hopefully low-scoring," Hitchcox said.
Willie struck out seven of the first 12 batters he faced, although he surrendered a run in the third inning on Byron Mantooth's single and Dylan Standifer's double.
Three of the first four Bears he faced in the fourth reached - a double from Riley Black and a single from Pete Williams before Jake Pressley's sacrifice fly and Mantooth's second single of the night.
"We did overcome a slow and lethargic start at the plate," Adams said, referring to Willie striking out five of the first six Bears he faced.
Winning pitcher Logan Newberry didn't have the strikeouts but pitched well enough to leave after six with a one-run lead.
"I got to hurrying - speeding up my delivery - but the defense was pretty good today," he said.
"He's pretty poised," Adams praised. "He battles, keeps the ball in the strike zone and he has a good defense behind him."
Andrew Manning beat out a chopper to third to open the Owls' sixth and scored on Jackson Malcolm's double to left-center. Malcolm then cut Bradley's lead to one on Andy Reed's single through Newberry's legs.
Colton Cross gave up an infield single to open the seventh but then induced a fielder's choice and overcame an error with the game-ending double play. It was his second save of the season.
"He gives a different look," Adams said of the side-arming senior who hadn't pitched since the eighth grade. "His ball moves, and he's a guy that wants to get out there and battle."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.