First-Inning surge sends Warriors to run-rule win

The White County High School baseball team wasted no time taking control Friday night. An 11-run first inning set the tone, and the Warriors rolled to a 13-1 win over Clay County.

It didn’t start that way. Clay County’s leadoff hitter worked a six-pitch walk, stole second, and eventually came around to score after a misplayed throw to third. Another error on the next pitch put a second runner in scoring position, but White County settled in and limited the damage to just one run.

That was all the Bulldogs would get.

The Warriors answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, and they did it in a hurry. Cole Gentry was hit by the first pitch he saw, and Austin Pionke followed with a hard ground ball that resulted in an error, moving Gentry into scoring position. Griffin Adams drew a walk to load the bases, and Preston Taylor worked a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.

From there, the lineup kept turning.

Clay Brewington dropped a single into right field to give White County the lead, and Will Thomas followed with another hit to reload the bases. Kolt Norris drove in two with a double to right, and Kaden Seibers added a pair of runs on an infield hit. Gentry capped the surge with a two-run home run to center field during his second at-bat of the inning.

And the inning still wasn’t over.

Pionke reached again with a walk, Adams added a single, and Taylor picked up an RBI base hit. Brewington reached on an error that brought in another run, and Thomas followed with an RBI single. By the time the inning came to a close, White County had turned a 1-0 deficit into an 11-1 lead.

From there, the Warriors didn’t need much more.

They added a run in the second after a walk, a hit batter, and a single brought Pionke across the plate, then tacked on one more in the fourth with the help of an error, two walks, and a sacrifice fly that scored Adams.

On the mound, Thomas handled the rest. He went the distance, allowing just one run while walking one and striking out five of the 16 batters faced.

WHITE COUNTY BOX SCORE: 

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

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