Dragons pick up win
CHS pulls out 8-7 thriller over Cherokee
Clinton’s Ethan Martell slides into third, while accidentally knocking over the Cherokee player that was tagging him out. The Dragons ultimately won 8-7. (photo:Collin Riggs )
Rob Stacy, head coach of the Dragons, said he was feeling good about the game.
“They’ve played several teams we’ve scouted and played hard, so it was a big win for us,” he said. “Blake Lowe did a great job on the win, but Ethan Tinker was the one who came in and closed the door on the win for us. Mac Lowe got a home run and got a three-run no-doubt bomb that went big for us.”
The Dragons took an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and holding Cherokee at zero runs until the fourth inning, when they gave up two. The Dragons scored four runs in the fifth inning after a home run, but gave up four runs at the top of the next inning to put them down 7-6 going into the seventh inning.
The Dragons had one last chance to regain the lead they held, and managed the two runs they needed to put themselves up to the final score of 8-7.
Connor Moody led at the plate with two hits, alongside Mac Lowe and James Cloud. Lowe finished with three RBI, while Cloud finished with two. Ethan Tinker also stood out for the Dragons, finishing with a four quality-at-bats.
Meanwhile on the pitching mound, Blake Lowe and Ethan Tinker split duties, with Lowe pitching for five innings before being relieved by Tinker for the rest of the game.
Lowe finished with 15 first-pitch strikes and seven strikeouts, as well as a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 2.00. Tinker, meanwhile, finished with six first-pitch strikes and four strikeouts, as well as a WHIP of 2.50.
Stacy said it’s just another example of how the tough season the Dragons have played is working in their favor.
“We’ve been preparing with this tough schedule all year, and having a tough schedule, we’ve kind of tapered off toward the end,” he said.
“And I wouldn’t say the teams we’re playing now are easy, but they’re closer to the level that we’re playing at. Getting to the end of our district, we’ve got to the teams that are closer to our depth, and we’ve done a great job developing our pitching for the district tournament and having guys we can lean on.
“The guys were just more focused,” Stacy said. “They’re getting to the end of their season, and they’ve really focused in practice and dialed it in to get everything ready for districts.
“These games that get us prepared for district tournament also teach the young guys how to battle with a tough team like Cherokee that will play tough from the get-go. It really helps develop our guys, and this is the type of game we can build on as we get ready to make a run in our district.”
Clinton plays Central at Central for its first game of the post-season tournament at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6.