Jackets Crush Hampton to Advance to State Tournament
By Terry Futrell
The Coalfield Yellow Jackets save their best for late innings as they crushed Hampton 14-4 in a loser-goes-home sectional matchup Friday evening at Coalfield. After Coalfield jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning, Hampton roared back in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3. Coalfield’s offense erupted to outscore Hampton 11-1 after that point. The game reached an early ending when freshman catcher Luke Treece hit a 3-run walk off home run for a run-rule victory that sends Coalfield to the State Tournament that begins on Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
After two walks by Coalfield pitcher Cole Hines in the top of the first, Hampton’s Morgan Lyons was caught stealing third base with a throw from catcher Luke Treece to Zach Armstrong. Collin Morgan singled, driving in Caleb Royston. The half-inning ended when Morgan was tagged out between first and second base. Hampton led 1-0.
Cole Hines reached base on an error and Luke Treece was hit by a pitch. Brayden Burgess doubled to left field scoring both Hines and Treece. Zach Armstrong hit a line drive double to center field, scoring Burgess. The Jackets led 3-1 after one inning.
After two scoreless innings by both teams, Hampton tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the fourth. Collin Morgan singled on a hard infield grounder, followed by a double to left field by Conor Jones. McKinley Kuhn then singled on a fly ball to center field, scoring both Morgan and Jones.
Coalfield then went on an offensive rampage and put six more runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Rommel Conlon reached base on a bunt and Cole Hines was hit be a pitch. Coalfield had two runners on base with two outs. Levi Brasel singled to right field, scoring both Conlon and Hines. Brayden Burgess then singled to left field and Levi Heidel walked, loading the bases. Zach Armstrong drove a line drive to center field, scoring Brasel, Burgess, and Heidel. Aiden Sexton was hit by a pitch. Reilly Brown drove a line drive double to right field, scoring Armstrong. Coalfield led 9-3 after four innings.
After Hampton’s Morgan Lyons doubled in the top of the fifth, Caleb Royston walked. Collin Morgan doubled on a fly ball to right field, scoring Lyons. Coalfield responded with two additional runs in the bottom of the fifth. Luke Treece reached base on an error and Levi Brasel was hit by a pitch. Brayden Burgess got his third hit of the game with a hard grounder to center field, scoring Treece. Levi Heidel walked, and Aiden Sexton grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Brasel. Coalfield led 11-4 after five innings.
Even though Hampton’s McKinley Kuhn and Kyler Lewis tapped Coalfield pitcher Cole Hines for consecutive singles in the top of the sixth, Coalfield’s defense held Hampton scoreless. Coalfield’s Rommel Conlon responded with a single on a bunt in the bottom of the sixth. Cole Hines was hit by a pitch, placing runners at first and second. After watching ball 1 fly by, Luke Treece then grabbed the second pitch and planted it beyond the fence in left field. Treece’s walk off homer gave the Jackets a 14-4 run-rule victory over Hampton that earned the Jackets a berth in the State Tournament.
While the final score may suggest that Coalfield was playing a lesser team, a look at some key states proves otherwise. Hampton had an impressive team batting average of .364 for the game. The difference maker was Coalfield’s astounding .600 team batting average. Leading hitters for Coalfield included Brayden Burgess (4 for 4), Zach Armstrong (2 for 3), and Rommel Conlon (2 for 3). There were only seven walks in total in the game, however, Coalfield had five players hit by pitches. Cole Hines went the distance and earned the victory for Coalfield, facing 25 batters in six innings. Hampton used four different pitchers who faced 29 batters in six innings.
The loss ends Hampton’s season. Coalfield moves on to face Lookout Valley in the opening round of the State Tournament on Tuesday at Eagleville at 6:30 PM CDT. The Jackets previously defeated Lookout Valley 4-2 on April 15.
