Rough finale for Warriors

The regular season finale didn’t come close to going the way the Warriors had hoped.

The White County High School baseball team managed just two hits and a single run as they fell to the Cookeville Cavaliers, 14-1.

White County’s lone run came early. Austin Pionke drew a one-out walk in the top of the first inning and moved to second when the Cavalier first baseman committed an error on a pickoff attempt. That set him up to score when Griffin Adams drilled a line drive into center field. It would be the only offense the Warriors could muster.

Cookeville answered immediately. Their second batter of the game launched a solo home run over the right field fence to tie it, and the Cavaliers kept the pressure on from there. A hit batter, two singles, and a double helped them build a 4-1 lead before White County could record the final outs of the inning.

The Warriors’ only other hit came in the second inning when Kolt Norris singled to lead things off, but he was later caught stealing — effectively ending any remaining momentum at the plate.

Cookeville continued to add on. The Cavaliers pushed four more runs across in the second inning, added another in the third with the help of a single and a triple, and then broke the game open in the fourth. Four hits, three walks, and an error fueled a five-run inning that stretched the lead to 14-1.

When White County went down without a baserunner in the fifth, the run-rule brought both the game — and the regular season — to a close.

It was another pitcher-by-committee outing for the Warriors. Cole Gentry allowed four runs on four hits while facing eight batters. Kaden Seibers gave up three runs on one hit in his five batters faced. Riley Howell surrendered one run on one hit, walking three and striking out one. Mason Seibers allowed one run on two hits in his appearance. Adams logged the longest outing, facing 13 batters while giving up four hits and one earned run. He walked three and struck out two.

WHITE COUNTY BOX SCORE: 

HITS: Griffin Adams 1, Kolt Norris 1 
RUNS: Austin Pionke 1 
RBI: Griffin Adams 1 
TB: Griffin Adams 1, Kolt Norris 1 
SB: Griffin Adams 

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