The stage was set in Cookeville Thursday for a David vs. Goliath battle for the District 6-AAA baseball championship.
Warren County went into the  tournament finals having never beaten the Cavaliers under coach Adam Childs. Meanwhile, Cookeville rolled into the contest at 27-7 on the season and hoping to add another win to the long list of triumphs over the Pioneers, as well as gain another trophy to their overflowing case.
Logan Underhill and Chayse Frye weren’t letting Warren County go down again though.
With Underhill throwing fire on the mound and Frye crushing every pitch he saw, the Pioneers claimed the District 6-AAA championship with a 8-3 win over the Cavaliers. It was the first district title for the baseball program since 2001, when current WCHS principal Jimmy Walker guided the Pioneers to a co-championship in District 7-AAA.
Coach Childs envisioned before the season that his team could challenge for the crown, but he also knew which team would probably be standing in the way at the end.
“We knew we had an experienced team coming back and thought we could make some noise in the district,” said Childs. “Going into the championship game, we were 0-9 against Cookeville since I had been here. So we knew we were going to have to dethrone them to win the district.
“I think it made it a little sweeter knowing we beat the team that had won the previous two years.”
Indeed, Cookeville was going for a “3-peat”  on Thursday afternoon at home. Coach Childs and his team remembered how the streak started and it gave them an edge going into this year’s championship game.
“One of the things we talked about going up there was not to be satisfied with being in the championship game,” said Childs. “Two years ago, we played like we were just happy to be there and got beat 11-1. We made sure we went up there knowing we were going to win. We wanted to bring a championship back to Warren County.”
With Underhill and Frye leading the way, that’s exactly what the Pioneers did.
Underhill went the distance on the mound to earn the championship victory. In his first season starting for the Pioneers, coach Childs trusted the senior to take the ball in an elimination game against Rhea County to start the District 6-AAA tournament and in the tournament finals. Underhill allowed only seven hits while striking out five and walking three against a loaded Cavalier lineup.
The Pioneers gave the senior starter some cushion to work with in the second inning when the visitors scored five runs. The first may have been controversial, but Frye left no doubt about the last three.
With one out and the bases loaded in a scoreless game, Underhill came to the plate hoping to help his cause in the second inning. Instead, the Pioneer lead-off batter lofted a pop fly down the right-field line. Ryan Julian gave chase and ultimately hauled in the fly ball in foul territory. Hunter Mullican was waiting at third base and sprinted home the moment the ball hit Julian’s glove. A play at the plate ensued and Mullican was called safe – much to the chagrin of the partisan home crowd.
It was a big ruling because the Pioneers would tack on four more runs with two outs.
Park Hilliard made it 2-0 with a single through the left side of the infield to bring in Isaac Golden, who reached after being hit by a pitch. Hilliard’s single brought up Frye, who was only moments away from sending Pioneer fans into a frenzy.
Digging into the box while facing Slade Dale, Frye stared into the center field to see the gigantic wall over 350 feet away. His target was acquired.
Frye jumped on the first pitch he saw and sent the pitch sailing. All the Cookeville outfielders could do was turn and watch as Frye’s home-run ball flew over the center-field wall. Warren County players were awaiting the junior first baseman at home and when he touched the plate, the Pioneers were ahead 5-0.
Cookeville answered back with one run in each of the second and third innings. Blaine Smith had a RBI single in the second inning while Jacob Edgington sent an offering from Underhill sailing off the wall in left field for a RBI single in the third.
Warren County regrouped in the fourth inning as Frye provided the offense once again.
Three straight singles by Lucas Rogers, Underhill and Hilliard brought Frye to the plate with the bases loaded. Alex Jones – the third Cookeville pitcher of the game – had no choice but to pitch to Frye. Like his two predecessors, it didn’t work out well for the Cavalier hurler.
Frye drilled a double to center field, bringing around Rogers and Underhill in the process. Lee Carden would follow with a RBI single to score Hilliard and give Warren County an 8-2 advantage.
Edgington tried to spark Cookeville with a solo home run in the fifth inning, but Underhill wasn’t allowing a comeback in the championship game.
Underhill had two of his five strikeouts in the sixth inning and navigated around a late triple to shut the door.
James Paisley delayed the inevitable with a two-out triple in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Underhill forced the next batter to hit a soft fly ball to second base. Rogers drifted back and was waiting under the ball. When the freshman secured the final out, the celebration started.
Cookeville could only sit and watch as the Pioneers stormed the field to meet Underhill at the mound. The excitement had built ever since the Pioneers blew out Rhea County last Saturday and coach Childs watched with a smile as his team accomplished an amazing feat.
“This win was all about the boys. I am so happy for them and the community that can celebrate this championship,” said Childs. “We thought we matched up well with the teams in the district and knew we just needed to have some breaks go our way and we could get hot.
“Even then though, I never expected to run rule Rhea County and Cumberland County twice. Those wins have definitely built our confidence. I can not wait to see what else we can do.”
The win allows Warren County to play at home when it competes in the regional tournament Monday. The Pioneers will play host to Soddy Daisy, who lost 1-0 to Bradley Central in the District 5-AAA championship game.
Action at Patrick Ramsey Field will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday.