If you didn’t have a good view of the scoreboard, the bedlam in the Soddy Daisy dugout made it clear which team was leading from the opening frame. A four-run first inning ignited the Trojan bench and a ten-strikeout performance from Carson Flint sustained the buzz all the way to the 8-2 final.
“I absolutely love the energy,” said Trojan head coach Jim Higgins. “I think the guys are bought in. We’ve been playing good baseball and I really do appreciate the energy. They love one another, they want this really bad, and I’m just glad they’re enjoying the moment,” said Higgins.
That energy was kickstarted by some opportune hitting and baserunning from the Trojans early on, as they scored their first five runs on just two hits. After the first two Soddy Daisy hitters reached on a walk and an error, Cooper Poe singled to right field to pick up his first of three eventual runs batted in. Drew Lewis followed him with a line shot into right that scored the second run, and another pair scored on a second Signal Mountain error.
The early four-run lead was more offense than right-hander Carson Flint needed, as he went on to pitch into the sixth inning, allowing two hits and one earned run.
“Carson was Carson,” said Higgins. “He’s been super consistent for us all year long so we kind of know who we’re going to get when he steps on the mound. I can’t remember the last time that he was really off,” he added.
Flint mixed a powerful fastball with a tight breaking ball that missed bats all night. He tossed 103 pitches, painting corners and commanding every quadrant of the strike zone.
“I felt great,” said Flint. “Pound the zone, get ahead, and I have to make them swing it. I’ve got a good defense behind me and they made plays,” said Flint.
In the second, Soddy Daisy extended their lead with AJ Florio getting loose on the basepaths and finding his way to third after drawing a walk to lead off the frame. Logan Williams scored him with a groundout to give the Trojans a 5-0 lead, plenty of cushion for their sharp pitcher to work with.
Florio showed remarkable discipline in the box and found his way aboard five times, four of them by watching ball four. Florio’s teammates converted their leadoff man’s table-setting into three of their eight runs.
“(Pitching from ahead) is so easy,” said Flint. “You get to go out there with confidence on the mound and you get to play loose. You don’t have to work the zone as much, you can let them swing it and see what they’ve got,” said Flint.
Flint suffered a momentary lapse in command in the third inning, walking back-to-back batters after allowing a leadoff single to load the bases. With their first opportunity to strike, the powerful bat of junior Jake Edmondson put the Eagles on the board with a sacrifice fly to center field. Flint limited the damage by retiring the next two batters and Soddy Daisy remained firmly in control.
Ryan Applegate wasted little time getting the run back for the Trojans as he drove in Brayden Maynor with a sharp liner to left in the following inning. Two outs later, Cooper Poe continued his hot hitting and drove in two more on a sharp base hit to right field. The eight early runs from the tenacious Trojan bats gave them a firm grip on the series opener that they never let go of.
Poe finished the game 3-4 with a game-high three runs batted in.
“I was proud of the guys,” said Higgins. “I thought they showed discipline at the plate. We weren’t necessarily knocking the cover off the ball to start the game, but we took advantage of some opportunities that were given to us and that’s baseball. You can either capitalize on it, or you can’t,” said Hensley.
Game two of this region 6-AAA tournament series will be Friday evening at Hixson high school, as the Eagles look to fend off the sweep to stay alive.
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 001 010 0 – 2
SODDY DAISY 413 000 x – 8
Harper, Gayton (2), Smiley (3), and Giles; Flint, Camp (6), and James.