GETTING RUG BURN, Walker Valley’s Tyler Davis slides head first on McCallie’s artificial turf and beats the throw to second in the second inning against the Blue Tornado Saturday in Chattanooga. Davis later scored the Mustangs’ second run of the game on a squeeze play. Banner photo, RICHARD ROBERTS
The Mustangs baseball team ended their tournament series with one win against two losses and a draw.
After falling to Baylor in Thursday’s opening round, Walker Valley bounced back to blank Station Camp 7-0 Friday evening. The Mustangs dropped a heated 8-4 battle with Briarcrest Christian Saturday morning.
“We actually let this one get away from us. Like the old cliche goes, ‘It’s like kissing your sister,’” said Mustangs coach Joe Shamblin.
The Mustangs got off to a good start in the top half of the first. Jared Broome opened the game with a walk and later scored when a McCallie throw to second on a delayed steal sailed over second base into center field.
Walker Valley picked up two more in the second after Matthew Simmons singled to lead off the inning for the Mustangs, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Bobby Towne scored Simmons on a squeeze bunt and followed up with a stolen base before winding up at third after a balk. Towne made it 3-0 on another groundout.
McCallie broke the shutout with a run in the bottom of the inning.
The Mustangs got the run back in the third after Chris Caffrey was hit by a pitch and later scored on Dustin Stowers’ single.
The Blue tied the game with one swing of the bat with two outs in the bottom half of the fifth on a George Harrison three-run home run to dead-center field.
“It found the jet stream and kept going. That’s the way it goes. It’s a long way out there to center field. He did hit it good,” Shamblin said of the round tripper.
Shamblin lifted Simmons for Marcus Hunter who got a ground ball to end the inning. Hunter worked 2 1/3 innings before handing the ball over to Houston Spencer in the eighth.
Simmons gave up three hits in 5 2/3innings, striking out four and walking four. Hunter fanned three and walked one, Spencer gave up a hit and two walks (one intentional) in the final inning.
“I’m just waiting for these guys’ bats to come alive. I know we are going to be a good-hitting team. Our bats just haven’t come alive. The positive out of all this is, we are in all these games. We are playing good teams close, but we are not hitting it,” said Shamblin.
“I’d rather not be playing good this time of year than late in the year.”
The Mustangs will take a day of rest today before getting back into District 5-AAA baseball with a home-and-home series against Cleveland. Walker Valley will travel to Raider Field Monday at 7 p.m. and return home to close the two-game set Tuesday at 1.
The Mustangs will board a bus at the finish of Tuesday’s clash to head east for more tournament play in South Carolina.
“We’re going to take a little break tomorrow, let them rest then come in early Monday and get ready for Cleveland,” Shamblin said.
Against Station Camp, Logan Hindeman (1-0) got the pitching victory in a five-hit shutout.
Caleb Longley had a double and a pair of runs batted in to p-aced the Mustang offense.
MUSTANGS 4, BLUE TORNADO 4
Walker Valley 121 000 00 — 4 4 1
McCallie 010 030 00 — 4 4 0
Highlights: Bobby Towne 2-3, Brandon Zajac 2B (WV).
