Pepperell Dragons Slay the Wolverines
By EDDY GIFFORD
Sports Writer
Photo by Eddy Gifford – The Wolverines’ Bryson Shrader fields the ball and to make the throw to first in recent action. The Wolverines opened a three-game series at home with the Trion Bulldogs on Tuesday afternoon and will then travel to Trion on Thursday for game two and will be back at home on Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the third and final game of the series. Regular season play ends next week when the team faces the Armuchee Indians in a three-game series with only home game of the series being on Thursday, April 20 at 5 p.m.
The Dade County High School Wolverine baseball team had a three-game series with the Pepperell Dragons last week with the first game being played at Pepperell on Tuesday, April 4.
Dade County went down in order in the top of the first inning. Pepperell came to bat, and after the first batter lined out to shortstop, they got four consecutive hits that produced three runs to give them the early lead.
The Wolverines then gave up two more runs with two outs and trailed at the end of the first inning, 5-0.
In the second inning, Dade got their first base runner on a walk, but three strikeouts led the runner stranded and the score remained 5-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Dragons picked up five hits, a walk, and a hit batter to score six more runs and take a commanding 11-0 lead after two innings of play.
With three quick outs by the Wolverines in the top of the third, Pepperell was back at the plate and scored two more runs on three hits to go up 13-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Landon Williams reached on an error but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Jax Guinn got Dade’s first hit of the game on a line drive to right field. Bryson Shrader then singled to center field and Eli Kimball scored Dade County’s first run of the game. Two quick outs then ended the Wolverines threat, and the score was 13-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Dragons scored two runs to end the game on the run rule, taking the win 16-1.
Guinn and Shrader got the only hits for the Wolverines while Jake Harris took the loss pitching two innings while Williams pitched the final 1.2 innings.
On Thursday, April 6, the Wolverines hosted the Dragons for game two of the series, and things did not go well for Dade.
The Dragons scored 11 runs in the top of the first inning on six hits, including two doubles, a triple, and a grand slam home run, to take the lead 11-0.
DCHS went down in order in the bottom of the first, and then the Dragons scored six runs in the top of the second to take a commanding 17-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Wolverines managed to score three runs on four hits to close the game to 17-3.
However, in the top of the third inning, Pepperell continued their onslaught, scoring three more runs to make it 20-3.
Dade batters were then retired in the bottom of the third and the game ended on the run rule, 20-3.
Guinn led the Wolverines with two hits while Mason Gatlin and Caleb Massey picked up a hit each.
Gatlin took the loss pitching 1.1 innings while River McBryar pitched the final 1.2 innings.
On Friday, the Wolverines traveled back to Pepperell for the final game of the series.
Dade got on the board first when with one out three straight walks loaded the bases and Shrader singled to score one run. Then with two outs, Braydan Jones singled to score the Wolverines second run of the inning to take the lead 2-0.
It did not take the Dragons long to respond as they scored six first-inning runs on three hits, a pair of walks, and a pair of Dade County errors to take a 6-2 lead at the end of the first inning.
Pepperell would then score in every inning on their way to a 12-2, five innings win over the Wolverines and take all three game of the series.
Shrader and Jones had the only hits for the Wolverines while Guinn took the loss with relief help from Harris and Gatlin.
This week, the Wolverines hosted the Trion Bulldogs on Tuesday, April 11. They will travel to Trion for a 5:30 game on Thursday and then return home Friday to face the Bulldogs for game three of the series. That game will also start at 5:30 p.m.