Wolverines Come Up Short Last Week

By EDDY GIFFORD
Sports Writer

The Dade County High School Wolverine baseball team suffered through a heartbreaking week playing four games and dropping all four by a total of six runs. They are improving with each game but just have not been able to win the close games.

The team traveled to North Sand Mountain on Wednesday, March 3 in a rematch of an earlier game they won by an 11-1 score.

This would be a much different game. After a pair of scoreless innings, Dade took a 1-0 lead and then added another run in the fourth to go up 2-0.

An error opened the door for the Bison in the fifth inning and they took advantage scoring a pair of runs to tie the game 2-2.

NSM would come back in the sixth inning with three more runs to take a 5-2 lead.

The Wolverines loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but was unable to get the big hit and came away with a 5-2 loss to the Bison.

Nolan Heath and Kaden Moore had the only hits for the Wolverines while Brayden Nethery pitched five strong innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs while striking out six and not walking a batter. Moore pitched one inning and suffered the loss.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dade 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 1
NSM 0 0 0 0 2 3 x 5 7 2

On Thursday, the Wolverines were at home to face North Jackson in a rematch of a game they lost 11-1.

DCHS senior Brett Kay got his first start on the mound and after giving up a run in the first inning settled down and shut the Chiefs out until the seventh inning when he gave up another run.

Dade battled the entire game and finally pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game 1-1.

After North Jackson took the lead again in the top of the eighth the Wolverines scored again to tie the game 3-3.
Then, after a scoreless ninth inning the Chiefs scored two runs in the top of the tenth to take the lead 5-3. The Wolverines responded with base runners in the bottom of the tenth but was unable to score again and fell 5-3.

Kay pitched seven strong innings giving up just two runs (one earned) on four hits striking out seven and walking two. Colton Emmett pitched two innings and took the loss.

Brodie Swader had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Wolverines while Emmett, Moore, Kay, and Mason Gatlin had hits.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
North Jackson 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 05 05 05
Dade County 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 03 06 01

The Wolverines traveled to Trion last Saturday for two games. The first was against a very good Darlington team.
DCHS took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when the Darlington pitcher walked in a run. The Wolverines added another run in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead.

Darlington rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, all the runs were unearned. The score remained 3-2 until the top of the seventh when Dade tied the game on a sacrifice fly.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines Darlington pushed a run across in the bottom of the seventh with one out to claim the 4-3 win.
Swader pitched five strong innings giving up seven hits and three runs (no earned runs), striking out five and walking two. Eli Kimball pitched 1.1 innings and suffered the loss.

Swader, Heath, and Moore all had two hits for the Wolverines.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dade Co. 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 03 08 03
Darlington 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 04 08 00

DCHS then faced Trion in their second game of the day. After a scoreless first inning the Trion Bulldogs took the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the second.

The Wolverines were getting runners on base early but was unable to get the big hit to score any runs. The Bulldogs managed to push another unearned run across in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead.

In spite of leading the bases twice DCHS still remained scoreless heading into the seventh inning and down 3-0.
Again, the Wolverines loaded the bases, but this time managed to push two runs across, but fell short and dropped a hard-fought game 3-2.

Nethery pitched the complete game giving up six hits, striking out seven, walking one and not giving up an earned run but taking the loss.

Swader had two hits and two RBI’s and Heath also had two hits.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dade Co. 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 02 07 02
Trion 0 2 1 0 0 0 x 03 06 02

This week the Wolverines hosted North Murray on Tuesday and will travel to Sonoraville on Friday.

Next week Dade will open Region 7-AA play at Coosa on Monday at 4:30 p.m., host Coosa on Wednesday and then travel back to Coosa on Friday. The three-game series will continue with all Region 7-AA games this season.