The Warren County High School baseball team didn’t see its momentum slow down Thursday night when the Pioneers played their first pool play game of the Grundy County tournament.
The Pioneers beat Huntland 11-1 in six innings, improving to 3-0 and picking up their second run-rule victory of the year.
Warren County continued a trend from the team’s first two games by taking an early lead. The Pioneers scored in the first inning for the third consecutive game and went on to win in a rout.
Senior Brett Mullican got the action started with a bunt single, then moved to second on a steal. Mullican moved to third during Collin Hutchins’ at-bat, then scored on a ground ball to second base by Garrison Holmes.
Tristan Smith, a sophomore starting his first varsity game on the mound, had a rocky second inning as Huntland came back to tie the game.
Smith walked the first batter, which always seems to spell trouble. A passed ball moved the Huntland runner to second, then a single tied the game at one.
Smith settled down after giving up back-to-back hits though. Two strikeouts, along with first baseman Lee Carden throwing out a runner trying to take home during a pick-off attempt, stopped the rally by Huntland.
The Pioneers didn’t take the lead back until the bottom of the third. Mullican was once again in the middle of the action.
Mullican had a one-out double to left field, then the Pioneers started playing small-ball. Hutchins laid down a bunt to move Mullican to third, but a wild throw to first let Mullican come all the way around to score and moved Hutchins to second.
Holmes followed with a single to put runners on the corners, but the Pioneers couldn’t bring in another run as Logan Underhill struck out swinging and Alex Hillis grounded out to the shortstop.
Warren County missed an opportunity to extend the lead in the third, but the Pioneers capitalized in the fourth.
Senior Nick Grandey sparked a three-run rally with a two-run double to bring in Carden and Park Hilliard. Grandey then took third on a throwing error and stole home to give Warren County a 5-1 lead.
With Smith cruising on the mound, the Pioneers kept piling up runs at the plate.
Warren County scored two more runs in the fifth as Austin Panter brought Underhill, who reached on a double, with an RBI single and Austin Green added a run-scoring single of his own.
The Pioneers scored four runs in the sixth to end the game as the team continued to do the little things that helped spark a three-game winning streak to begin the season.
Warren County stole four bases, drew two walks and came up with clutch hits.
Hutchins sparked the rally with a single and stealing second. Holmes was hit with a pitch to put two aboard, then the Pioneers pulled off a double-steal to put both runners in scoring position.
Underhill brought Hutchins around with a single, then Hillis walked to load the bases.
Green drew a walk with the bases loaded to make it 9-1 and Carden ended the game with a double to deep-center field that brought Underhill and Green home.
Smith picked up the victory, going four innings and striking out six and allowing one run on three hits. Spencer Pryor pitched the final two innings.
Every batter in the Pioneer lineup finished with a hit. Green finished 3-for-3 and Underhill, Grandey and Carden had two RBIs apiece.
Pioneers pound Huntland
