Scoreless Game Slips Away Late for WCMS Baseball

It was a quiet night — until it wasn’t.

The White County Middle School baseball team battled through five scoreless innings Tuesday, but a late surge from Upperman proved to be the difference. The Jackets broke through in the sixth inning, plating three runs to hand the Warriors a 3-0 loss.

Opportunities were scarce on both sides early.

Upperman worked a walk in the top of the first, but the runner never advanced past second. White County’s first baserunner came in the bottom of the second when Noah Teeple lifted a fly ball into left field, but he was held in place. Haskell Simmons reached in the third after being hit by a pitch and moved to second on a wild pitch, but the Warriors couldn’t bring him any farther.

The fourth inning followed a similar script. Upperman drew a leadoff walk, only to see the runner erased on a fielder’s choice. Tate Pinion was hit by a pitch in the bottom half, but he remained stranded. Both teams went quietly in the fifth, with neither able to generate any momentum.

Then came the sixth — the only inning that mattered.

A leadoff walk set the table for the Jackets, and the next batter delivered with a line drive to center field for a triple, breaking the scoreless tie. A balk allowed another run to cross, and Upperman added a third with a double followed by a single, turning a tight pitcher’s duel into a three-run deficit in a matter of moments.

White County had one last chance in the bottom half. Ryder Staggs delivered a two-out single, but the rally never materialized as the Warriors were unable to push a run across.

Carson Burton got the start on the mound, working 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on just one hit. He struck out five and walked three, throwing 83 pitches with 48 landing for strikes. Kolton Sanders came on in relief, giving up one run on two hits while throwing 10 pitches, seven for strikes.

The loss marks the fourth straight for the Warriors, who are still searching for their first win of April. They’ll look to turn things around Thursday when they travel to Baxter to face Upperman in the second half of the series. White County will then head to Overton County on Friday before closing out the regular season with an away-home series against Warren County next week.

WHITE COUNTY BOX SCORE:
HITS: Ryder Staggs 1, Noah Teeple 1
TB: Noah T 1, Ryder S 1
HBP: Haskel S, Tate P

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