Mavs win the week
Despite loss to Lenoir City, ACHS playing good ball
Jacob Brock watches the pop fly he hit as he sprints to first base in the game against Lenoir City. The Mavs lost 22-16. (photo:Collin Riggs )
The Mavericks lost 22-16.
Still, Mavs Coach Cory Stooksbury said thought the first week went for the team.
“This weekend was tough,” he said. “We had William Blount at 9 a.m. (a 13-3 win) and didn’t play particularly well, and then White County (a 14-0 win) later that day and played pretty well.
“We break our season into weeks, so we treat every week like a season and try to win the week,” he said. “We went 3-2, so we won the week. That’s positive. We’ve been good on the mound in district play, but we’re still trying to figure out who’s going to be our non-district guys. For the most part, we’ve had some young guys throw it well.”
Anderson County gave up an early lead to Lenoir City, with Connor Tackett struggling to get his rhythm on the mound in the first inning before finding his groove in the second.
But the Mavs gave up five runs in the first, managing only a single run themselves and entering into the second inning down by four.
The Mavs gained another run in the second and held the Panthers scoreless in their half of the frame, putting the score at 5-2.
In the third inning, the Mavericks showed signs of the team that beat Campbell County. Three pitches and three outs as Tackett showed how dominant he can be.
That put the Mavs back at bat again, but they couldn’t score.
With a new pitcher in, the Mavs gave up four runs in the fourth, followed by 11 runs in the fifth when the Panthers hit a grand slam, putting the Mavs behind 20-2 at the bottom of the fifth.
A home run by Tanner Goins breathed some needed life into the team, and they scored nine runs, forcing another inning and sending the game well past the two-hour mark.
The Mavs cut the lead further in the sixth, scoring three runs in the sixth and plating two more in the seventh – but ultimately it wasn’t enough.
While the team struggled at the plate, Tanner Goins finished with five quality at-bats, while on defense, Connor Tackett finished with three strikeouts and 12 first-pitch strikes.
Anderson County went on to more than make up for the loss on Saturday in the games against William Blount and White County, where the Mavs won 13-3 and 14-0 respectively
Stooksbury said the team is still coming together, but performing well.
“We scored quite a bit of runs this week, and our bats are starting to really come alive,” he said. “Tanner Goins hit two home runs, Luke Lowry added a home run and a couple of doubles. Hudson Hartgrove is six for 13 this week and his brother has seven RBI [runs batted in].”
“Offensively, I think we’re starting to get going. It’s early still, but hopefully we get going as early as possible. I think we’re in a good spot.” though.”