BRISTOL, Tenn. - The Musick begins at the top of the lineup for Tennessee High.
Sophomore leadoff batter Dane Musick had four hits - including a home run and double - scored four runs, drove in two and stole a base to help spark the Vikings to an 18-1 five-inning non-district victory over West Ridge on Thursday evening at Tod Houston Memorial Field.
Tennessee High (3-1), which has scored 40 runs in three wins this season, collected 15 hits from eight different batters, while scoring four runs in the first and third innings, three in the second and seven more in the fourth.
"I came into this just trying to earn a spot," Musick said. "In our first scrimmage I went from the 9-hole and then the next one I went to leadoff. I have tried my best to do it. I have tried my best to give my teammates good looks leading off and just trying to get on base to put us in a good position."
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He had plenty of help on this day, including junior Bryson Hutton, who had three hits from the second spot in the lineup, scoring three runs, driving in one and also had one of eight walks and one of four stolen bases for the Vikings.
"If you had asked me going into the season would Dane Musick be our leadoff - and I am talking about before our scrimmages started - I would have said no way, hopefully he can be in the 8-hole and contribute, but then we started intersquad," Roberts said. "I put him in the leadoff spot against Science Hill in a scrimmage to see how he would react in that kind of situation and put Hutton in the 2-hole. They got a couple of hits against Science Hill arms and they have just stayed in there ever since."
Tennessee High also got production from its seniors, including Ashton Leonard, who homered, singled, drove in four runs and drew a walk and Isaac Blevins, who had a three-run double to highlight the first inning, and added a single and was hit by a pitch. Tripp Lively drove in two runs with a single off the bench in the third and Chandler Myers had a two-run triple in the fourth.
"Everybody was locked in at the plate today and it's not just 1 through 9," Roberts said. "We had several guys off the bench that got playing time early in the third inning and just locked in and just stayed competitive. That is the thing about this bunch, they just compete.
"A lot of times you get up a few runs and then guys kind of lose focus or they get down a few runs and they lose focus. This bunch, they stay locked in the whole time. You can win a lot of ball games doing that."
West Ridge (1-3), which lost 12-0 to Tennessee High to open the season last week, took a 1-0 lead in the first when Parker Senn was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and ground ball and scored on a single by Brayden Barr. The Wolves only managed two hits the rest of the way, singles by Morgan Ward and Kade Oliver, with only one runner getting as far as third base.
"They do things well, they do things the right way and they are going to have a successful season," West Ridge head coach Michael Hoover said. "They are going to go a long ways in the postseason...You have just got to tip your hat. They are going to do this to a lot of people."
Hoover, whose son, Drew, is a freshman pitcher at East Tennessee State, returns just one regular player from last year squad that won 19 games.
"We are going to take our lumps early, hopefully we can use these experiences and turn them into a positive and understand the areas that we have to get better at," said Hoover, whose Wolves used five pitchers against the Vikings, with Oliver taking the loss "We have to approach it with the right mindset and hopefully will continue to work so by May we will be playing better baseball."
Tennessee High, which also played error-less baseball and turned a double play, was led by football quarterback Jimmy Phipps on the mound, playing baseball for the first time since his freshman season. He picked up the win, allowing three hits, one run, striking out two and walking none in four innings. Cooper Harris retired the only three batters he faced in the fifth.
"He earned that start tonight. This was not some token start, Jimmy, you are a senior, everybody loves you or something like that," Roberts said. "I told him you have earned this start. You have been a quarterback here, I don't want you to go out and throw for 400 yards tonight, you didn't do that in football season.
"You have got skill guys all around you, you go out there and have a 9 vs. 1 mentality, you are the pitcher, you have got a defense behind you, you just attack hitters. He did that and then he has such composure. I am sure he had nerves and butterflies, but you would have never noticed it."
Musick blasted a two-run home run in the fourth that sailed over the scoreboard in left field. Leonard hit one in the second that cleared the fence in right-center field.
"I hit one against Lebanon. This was my second one, it is a great feeling to just come out here and do that though," said Musick, who hopes to continue producing at the plate when the Upper Lakes Conference slate begins on Monday against Sullivan East. "I have just got to keep having confidence, got to go up there and keep trying to put it in play, not try to do too much and just help the team out."
As for his approach at the plate? "I do like some first pitch fastballs," he said, with a smile.
West Ridge, which earned a 7-6 win over David Crockett on Monday, returns to action on Monday with the start of Big 4 Conference play against Dobyns-Bennett. Hoover will be patient with a young club learning their way against tough competition.
"I would like us to be a little bit more aggressive in the box and understand the situations," he said. "A lot of that comes from inexperience. For a lot of these guys this is their first two weeks of varsity baseball. It is showing right now, but we are going to continue to work hard and all you can do it keep working and eventually you will see the results."
Tennessee High has been to the state tournament in each of the last two seasons, finishing third in 2022 and fifth last season. Musick is trying to do his part to help the Vikings get back there again.
"I was just JV last year. It is an honor out here, great success coming from this team and it is just a blessing to be out here," said Musick, a sophomore on a team that includes 10 seniors. "We have some great seniors who lead us and keep us and teach us well and we have some younger guys too that can really hit it as well."
West Ridge 100 00 - 1 3 1
Tennessee High 434 7x - 18 15 0
Oliver, Maines (2), Martin (3), Borgelt (4), Ward (4) and Seto. Phipps, Harris (5) and Ca.Meyers, Lively (3). W-Phipps; L-Oliver. HR-Leonard (TH) 2nd, 1 on; Musick 4th, 1 on.