Wolverines Play Through Spring Break, Pepperell Dragons Were Too Hot to Handle
By EDDY GIFFORD
Sports Writer
Photo by Eddy Gifford – Levi Jordan makes the play for the Wolverines from third base last week against the Pepperell Dragons in region 1A-7 action. DCHS was swept by the Dragons who currently sit atop the region with an 11-1 region record and 21-2 overall. The Wolverines are scheduled to host the Trion Bulldogs on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The Dade County Wolverine baseball team traveled to Pepperell on Thursday, April 4 to face the Dragons in the first game of a three-game series. The first game of the series was scheduled for April 2, but due to the threat of severe weather, the game was rescheduled as part of a double-header on Friday, April 5 in Trenton.
The Dragons got on the board first with a pair of first inning runs and after a scoreless second inning, they came to life in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs and taking the lead 7-0.
Strong Dragon pitching shut down Dade County’s bats, but Kaiden Hubbard was able to finally pick up a single in the top of the fifth inning, giving Dade their only hit of the game.
Pepperell scored a single run in the fourth and ended the game with two runs in the fifth to claim the win, 10-0.
Hubbard had the only hit for the Wolverines while Parker Hill took the loss pitching 4.1 innings, giving up nine hits and 10 runs (five earned), while walking four and striking out three.
TB: Hubbard 1
E: Hubbard 2, Hill, McBryar
On Friday, the Dragons made the trip to Trenton for a double-header to complete the three-game series.
In the first game, the Dragons took the lead in the second inning after a scoreless first by scoring five runs.
After adding a run in the third inning, they scored five more in the fourth inning to take the lead, 11-0.
The Wolverines were unable to push any runs across, and the game ended by the run rule after five innings of play.
Dade County managed two singles in the game, one by Jax Guinn and the other by Levi Jordan.
Mason Gatlin took the loss pitching four innings, giving up eight hits and 11 runs (ten earned), walking three, and striking out three. Guinn pitched one inning getting the Dragons three up and three down.
TB: Cain 1, Guinn 1
E: Jordan
In the second game of the double-header, Pepperell again took the early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Wolverines scored their first run of the series in the bottom of the first to trail 3-1.
The Dragons had a big second inning, scoring four runs and building their lead to 7-1. They then scored two more runs in the top of the fourth to build a 9-1 lead.
Dade kept battling and managed to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, cutting into Pepperell’s lead and trailing 9-3.
The Wolverines pushed another run across in the bottom of the sixth but were unable to score again and fell to the Dragons 9-4.
Gatlin and Harley Russell led the Wolverines, each hitting a double while Hill and Hubbard had singles.
Guinn took the loss, pitching two innings and giving up seven runs (one earned), four hits, and three walks, and recorded two strikeouts. River McBryar pitched two innings and Hubbard pitched three.
2B: Russell, Gatlin, Hill
TB: Russell 2, Gatlin 2, Hill 2, Hubbard 1
SB: Hill
E: Hill, Cain
The Wolverines traveled to Trion on Tuesday, and they will host the Bulldogs on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before traveling back to Trion on Friday for the final game of the series.
