Oak Ridge sweeps way back to Spring Fling
Oak Ridge players celebrate in a dogpile after sweeping Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett in the Class 4A state sectional series and clinching a return trip to Murfreesboro for the 2026 TSSAA state baseball tournament. (photo:Izzy Smith | ORHS Sports Media )
The Wildcats punched their latest ticket to Murfreesboro and Spring Fling by sweeping Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett in a best-of-three state sectional series at Bobby Hopkins Field.
Oak Ridge cruised in the opener against the Indians, rolling to a 15-1 victory in five innings. The second game wasn’t quite as easy, as the Wildcats withstood some self-inflicted adversity and a late rally from the visitors.
In Game 1, Oak Ridge (33-9-1) faced an early deficit as Dobyns-Bennett plated a run in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats, who earned the right to host the sectional series by defeating four-time defending state champion Farragut to win the Region 2-4A title in West Knox County, didn’t trail the Indians for long.
Oak Ridge exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first. The Wildcats added five more in the second and three in the third.
The Wildcats pounded out 11 hits, with leadoff hitter Warren East setting the table throughout the game. He went 2-for-3 and drove in six runs. He had two doubles, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly.
Joe Webb chipped in with a solo home run. He stole a base and scored twice.
Mikee Teasley, a University of Tennessee signee, had two hits, including a double. He drove in a run, stole a base and scored.
Jaiden Cheaverton went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. He also stole a base. Kamden Welch was 1-for-2 and scored three times. Brooks Poteet was 1-for-2 with a triple, three runs scored and two RBIs, while Noah Wood had a hit, two RBIs and two runs scored.
On the mound, Webb got the start and picked up the win. He went 3 1/3 innings and gave up one run, three hits and two walks. He struck out one before giving way to Tryce Sharpe, who threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
In Game 2, the Wildcats again darted out to an early lead, scoring the game’s first run in the top of the first while playing as the visiting team in the sectional format. They added two runs in the fourth.
Teasley took the mound and sparkled through the first five innings, yielding just two hits before the Indians scored three runs in the sixth. He surrendered a bunt single in the second inning before retiring 11 straight batters and finishing with eight strikeouts.
In the sixth, things came a bit unraveled, and shaky defense allowed Dobyns-Bennett to make things interesting.
But Oak Ridge escaped the inning and scored two runs in the top of the seventh in an emotional game for coach Travis Free, who was the Indians’ pitching coach before coming to Oak Ridge.
It was Free’s son, Parker, who delivered the final blow with a two-run double.
Coach Free said it’s never easy to play the Indians, a task made even more difficult in an elimination game.
“It’s hard for all of us,” Free said. “It’s hard for them. It’s hard for me. I respect them. They’re my friends.”
Travis Free coached many of the opposing players in summer travel ball, making the matchup difficult for both him and his son.
“That third baseman that Parker just hit the ball by played on our same travel team that I coached all the way through when they were 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 years old,” Free said.
“All of the kids played with Parker growing up, so it means a lot to him and it means a lot to us both. But it’s hard for us. At the end of the day, it’s almost like a storybook ending.”
