Smith Strikes Out 15 To Lead York Over Smith County

Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis

The York Institute Dragons advanced to the Region 3-2A Championship with a 10-0 win over Smith County on Monday night.

York starter Nic Smith set the tone for the night in the first inning, as he struck out the side to keep the game scoreless for the Dragons. Smith then proceeded to drive in the game’s first run, and he was followed by a Tanner Tallent RBI single to make the game 2-0.

That alone would’ve been enough for Smith on Monday, but the Dragons tacked on four more runs to make the score 6-0 before the Owls took the field again.

Bennett Gammon came on in relief of SCHS starter Dennis West, and held the Dragons off the board in the second inning, but another run in the third and three runs in the fifth sealed the Owls’ fate, as York advanced to the region title game with a 10-0 win.

“It feels awesome, this will be the first substate game in school history,” said York head coach Adam Bowden. “I’m just over the moon right now. We came out in the first inning and scored six runs, and we kept going from there.”

Smith put together one of the best starts of his career, throwing five shutout innings with 15 strikeouts and only a single walk and hit allowed. As far as what his head coach had to say about the performance, his praise was certainly high.

“It reminded me of when Tom Glavine pitched for the Braves,” Bowden said. “When you get six or seven runs for any of our guys, I feel pretty good. That was one of the biggest wins in school history.”

Smith says he could feel that he had some of his best stuff working early, and he trusted his defense from there.

“I struck out the side in the first inning, and then I just trusted my guys behind me,” Smith said. “I know I have a good defense behind me and if they put it in play, these guys will make the necessary plays…I just trust them and throw my stuff, and it was working tonight.”

York will now head to Watertown on Wednesday for the region championship, something that at some points in the season may have felt like a long-shot for the Dragons. After the injuries and absences they’ve dealt with, Bowden says this game shows just how much the team’s hard work has paid off.

“They bought in to what we wanted, and we kept telling them to keep their eyes on the prize,” Bowden said. “Tonight in front of one of our biggest crowds, we showed what we’re capable of…this is big for this program. I can’t say enough about these guys.”

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