Hardin Valley routs Bearden, looking to get season on track

It has not been an ideal start to the baseball season for Hardin Valley Academy, but if Wednesday was any indication, the Hawks seem to be getting out of their lull.

Behind a 10-run third inning and a complete-game outing from senior Nathan Johnson, Hardin Valley routed district foe Bearden 14-4 to snap a two-game losing streak.

“Confidence is what we need because we’ve been struggling a little bit, so it was really good to see the guys be excited and energetic and having fun,” Hardin Valley baseball coach Joe Michalski said. “They deserve to see the results. It’s not that we haven’t been playing well, we just haven’t gotten a big hit at the right time, so for them to get that is great.”

The Hawks entered Wednesday with a 4-7 record, failing to record back-to-back victories at any point in the season. The inability to come up with that big hit as Michalski alluded to has hurt, but so have things away from the diamond.

“There’s been some distractions, but we’ve stayed together as a team,” Johnson said. “Now through hard work, hustle and everything it is all starting to come together.”

That distraction came in the form of Michalski being suspended in the wake of an investigation by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. The claims that led to that investigation proved to be unsubstantiated, and now the focus is solely on baseball.

It showed Wednesday.

The Bulldogs (4-11, 2-4 District 4-AAA) put the first tally on the board in the first, but the Hawks responded with two runs in the bottom half and then piled on 10 runs in the third, eventually leading to a run-rule victory.

“I think our players probably had this game and the West game circled on their calendars, so I know they were pumped up for it,” Michalski said. “This district is crazy this year, and it seems there is a lot of talent from top to bottom, so every win is going to be huge in terms of standings at the end of the year.”

The challenge now is parlaying this win into a few more. Hardin Valley is looking to bounce back, and on Wednesday they certainly showed they are capable of doing just that.

“It’s still early,” senior Dawson Byard said. “This is a big confidence boost and it is definitely helping us build some momentum going toward the rest of the season.”