Any thoughts of the Warren County High School baseball team’s season ending Saturday in the opening round of the District 6-AAA tournament ended about the time Chayse Frye’s first-inning home run went over of the fence.
Frye’s long ball started an offensive onslaught by the Pioneers that would help the team take out the Rhea County Eagles 11-1 in five innings at Patrick Ramsey Field.
Knowing it was a win-or-go-home game, Warren County jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Frye’s homer was a catalyst, as was a seven-run second inning for the Pioneers.
Frye stepped to the plate with two outs and Park Hilliard standing at second base following a walk and stolen base. The big lefty worked the count to 2-2 against Michael Garrison before jumping on the fifth pitch. Frye showed opposite-field power when he roped the ball over the left-field fence to put the Pioneers on the board early.
Two runs would prove to be all Warren County would need as Logan Underhill dominated the Eagle batters. A breakout star on the mound in his senior year, Underhill allowed only two hits and one run while striking out eight Saturday. Three of those Ks came in the third inning when Underhill struck out the side following Warren County’s huge second inning.
Garrison got into trouble in the second when he walked three straight Pioneers. Jett Urtubees, Hunter Mullican and Isaac Golden were all standing on base when Lucas Rogers drilled a two-run double into the left-field gap.
Underhill followed by helping his cause with an RBI single to score Golden and make it 5-0. The Pioneers would plate four more runs in the second as Frye and Mullican added RBI singles, Hilliard hit a sacrifice fly and one run scored on an error.
Rhea County scored its lone run in the top of the fourth, but the pair of freshman starters for the Pioneers made sure Warren County kept a comfortable cushion in the bottom of the frame.
Golden drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth and would come in to score on another double from Rogers to push the Pioneer advantage to 10-1.
Hilliard would score the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth as Warren County won its opening game in the District 6-AAA tournament by run rule.
Saturday’s victory was the third over Rhea County for the Pioneers.
Warren County won the season series 2-1.


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Isaac Golden was running as fast as he could. Logan Underhill and Park Hilliard were giving chase as well. All three Pioneers were trying to prevent the ball from hitting the ground in the bottom of the seventh Monday night, but it did. And when it did, the Cumberland County Jets drew first blood in the best-of-three series in the District 6-AAA baseball tournament.
Morgan Richards’ bloop single in the bottom of the seventh allowed David Elliott to score the winning run in a 3-2 contest in Crossville Monday night.
Warren County won its way into the District 6-AAA tournament semifinals with a dominating 11-1 victory over Rhea County Saturday at home, but the team’s bats didn’t seem to make the trip to Cumberland County. Warren County struggled at the plate with only four hits off Jet starter Matt Ledbetter, but Will Sweeton matched him pitch-for-pitch to keep the Pioneers alive.
Sweeton allowed only six hits while striking out four Monday night, but two of those hits came in the final inning when Cumberland County rallied for a thrilling victory.
Elliott started the seventh inning with a single. Ethan Cunningham followed with a sacrifice bunt to put the potential game-winning run in scoring position. Sweeton settled down and forced a lazy fly ball to Jett Urtubees in right field by the next batter, but Richards was ready to be the hero.
Richards didn’t put a great swing on an offering from Sweeton, but he got just enough of the ball to bloop it into shallow center field. Golden was barreling in from the outfield while Underhill and Hilliard sprinted from their infield spots, but none of the trio could reach the ball. Elliott was running on contact and scored without a throw to give the Jets the upper hand in the series.
Game two was played Tuesday night at Patrick Ramsey Field. A Pioneer win would force a deciding game three in Cumberland County Wednesday. More details can be found in Friday’s Southern Standard.
Cumberland County got the scoring started in the first inning when Ryan Burgess singled and scored. Warren County came back to tie the game in the third inning when Isaac Golden scored on a throwing error following a single by Lucas Rogers.
The Jets jumped back on bottom of the fourth inning when Nathaniel Wyatt hit a solo home run to lead off the frame, but the Pioneers rallied back in the top of the fifth inning to knot the score at 2-2.
Jerrick McKnight, running for Rogers after he reached on an error, was able to move to third when a pick-off attempt went haywire. McKnight was able to get to his feet quickly and scramble all the way to third as Ledbetter’s throw sailed into right field. McKnight scored with ease when Logan Underhill hit a towering fly ball into deep center field that served as a sacrifice fly.
The scored stayed tied until Richards was able to make the most of a bloop shot in the bottom of the seventh.
Hilliard led the Pioneers with two hits Monday while Rogers and Hunter Mullican had one hit apiece.