The Tullahoma High School baseball team won a pair of one-run contests against the Red Raiders from Manchester.
The first game was Friday night in Tullahoma and the Wildcats won 6-5. Bobby Nichols started on the mound for the ‘Cats. He started the game off with a quick nine pitch first inning, facing just three batters and striking out one. Tullahoma got on the board in the bottom half with heads up base running from Baylan Tuten. He took a walk to start the night at the plate for the Wildcats. He stole second base, then took third on a passed ball and scored on another passed ball. Tullahoma had a 1-0 lead early without a hit. Nichols and his battery mate Jayron Morris kept the Red Raiders scoreless in the second. Morris threw out a runner trying to take third to end the inning. Colton Emory record the first hit for Tullahoma with a single to lead off the second. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then advanced to third on the ground out from Mason Bratcher. Hunter Hogan proceeded to hit a two-out RBI double to make it 2-0 Wildcats.
Coffee County’s only hit in the third inning was a bunt single with two outs. The Wildcats’ first runner of the inning was Morris who reached on an error. Cade Fanning came in as a courtesy runner for the catcher. He stole second, giving Andrew Fulmer a runner in scoring position with one out. Fulmer cashed in, lining a ball to left field to score Fanning. Fulmer advanced to second on the throw. With two outs he made it to third on a wild pitch. Emory was at the plate, he put a ball in play and chaos ensued. The ball fell on an error. The Red Raiders compacted the initial error by being unable to throw the ball into a glove, giving Emory a “little league home run” and the ‘Cats a 5-0 lead. Nichols shutdown Coffee County in the fourth after a leadoff hit, getting the next three batters on 10 pitches. Tullahoma added another run in the bottom half. Trevor Cole started the inning reaching base on an error and making it to second on the error. He stole third, Morris walked and then Fanning stole second as the courtesy runner. Fulmer walked to load the bases with one out. Evan Tomlin plated Cole by beating out a double play ball for a fielder’s choice.
The Red Raiders kept fighting and had a chance to extend the game in the seventh, down 6-2 the first five batters of the inning reached base. Tuten struck out a batter for the first out of the inning but the bases were still loaded with the score 6-4. The next batter took a full count walk to make it a one run game. Then Tuten slammed the door striking out the next two batters on eight total pitches.
On Saturday the ‘Cats needed a seventh inning comeback to win 5-4, with a three-run seventh inning. Tullahoma used four pitchers in the game, Lukas Taylor started and went 2.2 innings, striking out five and allowing just three hits. Ben Quick relieved Taylor and went 1.1 inning. Bratcher took the bump in the fifth and went two innings, he gave up just one hit and struck out two. Hogan closed the game with a quick three-up, three-down bottom of the seventh. He ended the game by getting a swing and miss.
Tullahoma blasted a pair of solo home runs in the seventh inning to tie the game. Hogan led the inning off with a solo shot and then with one out Fulmer blasted one over the left field fence. Morris reached on error after the game was tied. Lucas Reed came in as the courtesy runner, he stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch with two outs. Tomlin and Emory walked to load the bases with two outs. Then Phillip Lemmon worked a six-pitch walk to give the Wildcats a 5-4 lead.
Tomlin, Fulmer and Morris all had two-hit games at Manchester. Bratcher and Hogan had the other hits for the team. Emory led the team taking three base on balls. Tomlin and Lemmon drew the other two.
On Monday Tullahoma went to Central Magnet and won 6-4 to remain atop the district standings at 5-1. They were led by a 5-run first inning. Tomlin had two of the four Tullahoma hits. Bratcher and Hogan had the other two. Bratcher hit a three RBI triple in the first, followed by Hogan’s double to plate Bratcher. Tullahoma took a base on balls three times, were hit by one pitch and were awarded first on a catcher’s interference once. Tuten took two walks. Bratcher took the other. Fulmer was hit by the pitch and Morris reached on the interference. Tomlin started the game for the Wildcats and went five innings striking out six. Tuten relieved him for a two-inning save giving up one hit, walking one batter but getting all six outs via strikeouts.
Tullahoma will host Lincoln County Thursday with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.
