Bulldogs are the Baseball Champions!
By Terry Futrell
How does one choose a storyline that best describes Wartburg’s dominating 16-2 defeat of Harriman for the District 3-A baseball championship Wednesday evening? Do you focus on the fatigue and emotions that Harriman’s players must have felt after a tough two and one-half hour victory over Oliver Springs in the losers bracket immediately before this game? Perhaps you should highlight the no-hitter that Wartburg’s Patrick Lester had going until the fifth (and final) inning. Or, there is the huge positive spiritual impact of Coach Zach Moore on these young men, accompanied by his constant mentoring and demand for excellence in execution. While each of these is noteworthy, there is really only one storyline that will long be remembered – the 2019 Wartburg Central High School Bulldogs captured the District 3-A baseball championship in one of the most dominating performances ever witnessed!
The Bulldogs wasted no time in taking control of the game. After quickly putting Harriman’s first three batters away, Colby Justes and Caleb Constant each had singles and Jeremiah Davis recorded a double in the bottom of the first inning as the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead.
Wartburg extended its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second when Elijah Langley scored on a passed ball.
The Bulldogs really began to pour it on in the bottom of the third inning, adding six more scores and extending the lead to 9-0. A line drive single to right field by Trevor Hill scored Jeremiah Davis. Patrick Lester singled on a line drive to center field. Colby Justes followed with a single on a hard ground ball, scoring Tanner Johnson and Elijah Langley. Not to be left out, Caleb McCarty and Caleb Constant hit successive triples, driving in three more runs.
The fourth inning proved to be more of the same for the Bulldogs as 13 batters put seven more runs on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs led off with successive singles by Trevor Hill, Patrick Lester, and Andrew McPeters. Caleb McCarty later added a single, followed by a double by Caleb Constant. Harriman pitchers then walked four successive Wartburg batters before closing out the inning with Wartburg leading 16-0. Harriman used four different pitchers in the inning.
The top of the fifth inning was inconsequential, even though Harriman’s Brandon Turpin managed to get the Blue Devils only hit of the game, scoring two runs. With two outs, Keaton Hall flied out to Caleb McCarty and the Bulldog celebration began.
As a team the Bulldogs had an astounding .500 batting average in the game, recording 13 hits in 26 at bats. Bulldogs Caleb Constant, Caleb McCarty, Colby Justes, Patrick Lester, and Trevor Hill collectively had 11 hits in 16 at bats and 11 RBIs. Constant was three for four at the plate with three RBIs and led the Bulldogs in hitting.
Patrick Lester pitched the entire game for Wartburg, throwing only 70 pitches with a .529 strike percentage. Patrick recorded three strikeouts and three walks. Lester had a no-hitter going with only one out remaining when Harriman’s Brandon Turpin hit a ground ball single to left field, driving in two runs.
In contrast to Lester’s pitching performance, Harriman used seven pitchers in the game trying to find a way to stop Wartburg’s offensive onslaught. Brady Stubbs pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on three hits, and was tagged with the loss. Harriman’s pitchers threw a total of 130 pitches in four innings.
Wartburg racked up 10 stolen bases in the contest, compared to none for Harriman. Tanner Johnson led the Bulldogs with three stolen bases. Caleb Constant and Colby Justes had two stolen bases each. Michael Davis, Jeremiah Davis, and Elijah Langley each stole one base.
While it does not show up in game statistics, the blinding speed of Caleb Constant and Colby Justes in running the bases was especially noteworthy. Constant repeatedly lost his batting helmet making the turn at first base due to his speed. At one point early in the game, Justes’ speed in stealing second base provided no opportunity to aim the camera and capture his fantastic slide at the end.
The overwhelming victory by Wartburg avenges two losses to Harriman early last week. The win gave Wartburg its first baseball district championship since the 2011 season. The respect of the two teams for each other was evident when the Bulldogs broke into applause as the Runner-up trophy was presented to Harriman. The Blue Devils reciprocated with loud applause as Wartburg was presented the Championship trophy.
Both Wartburg and Harriman move on to regional competition. Wartburg will host Tellico Plains at 6 PM on Monday, May 13. Harriman will travel to Lookout Valley to face the District 4-A Champions at the same time.