Jon Reed channeled his inner Neil Walker Monday night at Patrick Ramsey Field.
Much like the Pittsburgh Pirate second baseman who opened play in Major League Baseball Monday with a walk-off home run, Reed was the hero for the Warren County High School baseball team when he blasted a game-winning home run over the left-field fence to lift the Pioneers past Stone Memorial 7-5. Reed’s homer was the culmination of a six-run seventh inning for Warren County as the team improved its overall record to 7-7 and evened its District 6-AAA record at 3-3.
The Pioneers, who lost 13-11 to the Panthers in the preseason District 6-AAA tournament, looked destined to fall again in district play when the seventh inning started with Stone Memorial leading 5-1. To that point, Warren County had collected five hits, but produced only one run courtesy of a RBI single by freshman Isaac Golden in the fifth inning.
Golden was the lead-off batter in the bottom of the seventh, but he struck out as the Pioneers were left two outs away from another district loss. Junior Jett Urtubees breathed life back in the home team though when his double sparked the seventh-inning rally.
Senior Logan Underhill brought Urtubees around with a single - the lone hit for the Pioneers’ team leader in hitting with a .538 batting average. Park Hilliard joined Underhill on base by drawing a walk, then the Panthers made a big mistake to let Warren County get even closer. Lee Carden hit a hot shot to second base which could’ve been a double play had the Panther second baseman got his glove on the ball. Instead, it went trickling into right field while Underhill scored to make it 5-3.
Chayse Frye came to the plate as the potential winning run and came through with an RBI single into right field that scored Hilliard. Freshman Lucas Rogers followed with a long sacrifice fly to center field, one that was deep enough to allow Carden to sprint home from third to tie the game.
Knowing the team had new life, Reed stepped into the box determined to make sure the game would end in the seventh. Reed, who had committed an early error in the third that allowed the Panthers to plate their first two runs, had roped a double to the left-field wall in the fifth inning to set up the Pioneers’ first run. He hit his next shot even further.
Reed zeroed in on the second pitch he saw from lefty reliever Clay Wilson and, in an instant, the Pioneers had completed their comeback. Reed sent the pitch – a belt-high inside fastball he recalled – sailing into left field, where it cleared the fence and sent the Pioneers into an uproar. Teammates were waiting at home when Reed finished making his round and the celebration was on the moment the senior third baseman’s feet hit the plate.
After years of hoping for his first home run, Reed finally came through when his team needed him most.
“It felt amazing. I was just glad I came through for my teammates,” said Reed.
Stone Memorial led 5-0 midway through the fifth inning when Jason Moldenhauer hit a two-run single off Pioneer starter Ryan Jennings. Will Sweeton would replace Jennings in the sixth and go on to earn the win by pitching the final two innings and allowing no hits and no runs while striking out two. Moldenhauer took the loss for the Panthers as he pitched into the seventh inning before giving way to Wilson.
Pioneer coach Adam Childs was thrilled his team found a way to win on Monday night, especially on such a big hit by a senior leader.
“I just kept telling the team, ‘Just one at a time. Try not to look at the big deficit, just do your job one at a time.’ We have always stressed with the boys is to stay the course and keep fighting,” said Childs. “That’s the thing with Jon. We were just hoping he could split a gap and get Chayse in from first, but for him to hit a home run was huge. I’m pretty sure it was his first high school home run and it really couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Warren County made the return trip to Stone Memorial Tuesday night. The result was unavailable at press time. The Pioneers are scheduled to play Siegel Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Sequatchie County Thursday at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at Patrick Ramsey Field.