Big hits early, bigger hit late: Warriors rally past Jets

The White County Warriors came out swinging, stumbled through some shaky moments, and then delivered their biggest hit when it mattered most.What started as an early statement turned into a back-and-forth battle before ending in a dramatic 7-5 road win over Cumberland County on Tuesday night.

It didn’t take long for the Warriors to make noise. Cole Gentry ripped a single on the first pitch of the game, and just a few pitches later, Austin Pionke launched a shot over the center field fence to give White County a quick 2-0 lead.

They added what looked like an insurance run in the second when Will Thomas led off with a double and came around to score on another Gentry single. At 3-0, the Warriors were in control.

But that control didn’t last.

Cumberland County flipped the game in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of a White County error, a walk, and a single to load the bases. A walk forced in the first run, a wild pitch brought in another, and a deep sacrifice fly tied the game at three.

From there, the tension built.

The Warriors finally broke through again in the sixth. Griffin Adams led off with a double, Thomas followed with a single, and Kaden Seibers lifted a deep fly ball to center that allowed Adams to tag and score, putting White County back on top.

Again, it didn’t hold.

The Jets answered in the bottom half of the inning. An error and a single put pressure on the Warriors, and Cumberland County capitalized—tying the game before taking a 5-4 lead on a sacrifice fly.

Three outs to go. Down one. On the road.

It didn’t start well. Gentry struck out to open the seventh, leaving White County down to its final two outs. Then everything changed.

Pionke kept the inning alive with a single. Clay Brewington was hit by a pitch, and suddenly the tying run was on base. That’s when Preston Taylor stepped up and delivered the biggest swing of the night.

Taylor crushed a pitch straight over the center field fence, turning a one-run deficit into a 7-5 lead in an instant.

On the mound, Griffin Adams started and worked 2.2 innings, allowing three runs—just one earned—on two hits while walking four and striking out one. Nick Nelson took over and earned the win, going 4.1 innings and giving up two runs on three hits and a walk.

The win moves White County to 7-8 on the season. The Warriors will have a few days off before returning to action April 6 at home against Stone Memorial.

WHITE COUNTY BOX SCORE: 

HITS: Cole Gentry 3, Austin Pionke 2, Will Thomas 2, Preston Taylor 1, Griffin Adams 1 
RUNS: Austin Pionke 2, Cole Gentry 1, Preston Taylor 1, Griffin Adams 1, Will Thomas 1 
RBI: Austin Pionke 2, Preston Taylor 2, Cole Gentry 1, Kaden Seibers 1 
2B: Griffin Adams, Will Thomas 
HR: Austin Pionke, Preston Taylor 
TB: Austin Pionke 5, Preston Taylor 4, Cole Gentry 3, Will Thomas 3, Griffin Adams 2 
HBP: Clay Brewington, Kolt Norris 
SF: Kaden Seibers 
SB: Austin Pionke, Cole Gentry, Lain Stone, Riley Howell, Will Thomas 

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