HIGH SCHOOL TEAM PAGES DOBYNS-BENNETT

Tribe Bounces Back, Bounces Back Into First With Series-Evening Win at Science Hill

Tribe Bounces Back, Bounces Back Into First With Series-Evening Win at Science Hill
Cade Maupin drove in three runs in the Tribe’s win at Science Hill. TriCitiesSports.com photo by Allen Greene.
by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
April 16, 2019

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Consider Dobyns-Bennett’s Monday’s debacle against its rival Science Hill royally flushed.

Bouncing back from a disappointing 11-6 loss to the ‘Toppers, the Tribe evened the season series with an 8-3 victory Tuesday evening at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.

The win also moved the Indians (15-9, 8-2) back atop the Big 7 Conference standings with a lone league series remaining next week against co-second place Tennessee High.

“We’ve had a ton of big wins in this program. We have bigger wins in postseason games, but after last night’s game and then to regroup and bounce back and come over here and win this game, I’m as proud of this win as any we’ve had. This was huge,” said Dobyns-Bennett coach Ryan Wagner.

Leading the way was starting pitcher Jackson McDavid. The junior right-hander survived an ominous start that saw ‘Topper leadoff hitter Caleb Marmo walk and Cade McCoy single. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position with no outs.

But McDavid got out of the inning with only one run crossing.

“I think that first inning settled us down and let them know that we had flushed yesterday and we had come to play,” said McDavid. 

McDavid didn’t walk another batter until there was one out in the seventh. It was a far cry from the 16 walks and three hit batters by the Tribe staff in the series-opener.

The ‘Toppers mustered six hits in the game and struck out only three times. The Tribe defense was solid in support as well. 

“I didn’t have as much control on my fastball in the first inning as I wanted, so I switched over to a two-seam and that worked for me,” added McDavid. “Later in the game, my curveball started working as well.”

McDavid was also working just a week after badly bruising his right foot during batting practice. 

“That’s my push-off foot and it was bothering me some,” admitted McDavid, “but I wouldn’t have missed this game at the world.”

The Indians matched the ‘Topper run with one in the second. Aaron Farley opened the frame with a double and scored on a Jake Timbes grounder.

The Tribe then exploded for five runs in the third off Science Hill starter Drew Honeycutt.

The big blow was Farley’s two-run triple to right that put the Indians ahead, 3-1.

“After last night, we had to have a short memory and come in here with a clean slate and play baseball the way we know how to play baseball,” Farley said.

Both of Farley’s extra base hits went to right center. The two-bagger came on a 2-2 pitch and the three-bagger on a 1-2 offering.

“There was two strikes so i was looking opposite field figuring he was going away with something offspeed,” added Farley. “I was just trying to sit back and hit it to right field.”

Farley worked diligently for a sacrifice fly to score another run in the fourth. After fouling off an 0-2 pitch and a 1-2 delivery, Farley sent Dalton Harkleroad home with a deep fly to left.

Later in the seventh, Farley worked a lead-off walk that turned into an important run after the ‘Toppers has pieced together a couple of runs to make things a tad interesting.

“We were all kind of down after last night, didn’t really believe it happened,” continued Farley. “We just came over here, executed and got the job done.”

McDavid followed Farley’s triple with an RBI-double and Cade Maupin capped the outburst with a two-run single.

Maupin’s single scored Farley’s courtesy runner, Isaac Thompson, with the eighth run in the seventh. Maupin also made a key defensive play in the first to keep McCoy’s low liner to right to just a single. 

“That was an unbelievable play or it’s a run scored, a triple, and a guy on third with nobody out,” noted Wagner. “That helped us settle down there early and let Jackson know his defense was there.”

Maupin and Farley both finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI’s. Thompson scored three times for Farley.

No Science Hill player produced a multi-hit game. McCoy, Matthew Levi and A.J. Motte drove in the ‘Topper runs.

“When you give up a five-run inning against a pitcher like McDavid, you put yourself in a pretty big hole,” said Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards. “They got hits together in that one inning and we were a step too slow on some plays. A walk here or there and they had a five-run inning. Give credit to them, they earned it.”

Science Hill (14-8, 7-3) closes out conference play next week with a series against Cherokee. 

NOTE. Dobyns-Bennett’s schedule home-and-away series with Abingdon on Thursday and Friday will likely be changed to a Thursday doubleheader at Abingdon with a first pitch at 4:30 p.m. An official announcement should come Wednesday afternoon.
 
Dobyns-Bennett
015
100
1
--
8
9
0
Science Hill
100
110
0
--
3
6
1
 
Dobyns-Bennett - Jackson McDavid and Aaron Farley. Science Hill - Drew Honeycutt, Garrett Gleason and Matthew Levi. W - Jackson McDavid 4-1, L - Drew Honeycutt. 2B - Dobyns-Bennett 2 (Aaron Farley, Jackson McDavid), Science Hill 1 (Alex Elmore). RBI - Dobyns-Bennett 8 (Aaron Farley 3, Cade Maupin 3, Jackson McDavid, Jake Timbes), Science Hill 3 (Cade McCoy, Matthew Levi, AJ Motte). SAC - Dobyns-Bennett 2 (Aaron Farley, Jackson McDavid), Science Hill 1 (Cade McCoy). DP - Science Hill. SB - Dobyns-Bennett 1 (Jake Timbes)0. LOB - Dobyns-Bennett 6, Science Hill 5.
 
 
 
 

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