BRISTOL, Tenn. - Not a bad time for Addison Glover's first varsity home run.
The Tennessee High freshman blasted a two-run home run to break a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning to spark the Vikings to an 11-1 District 1-AAA championship game victory over David Crockett on Thursday night at Rotary Field.Â
"It is a very big moment, especially like the first real game I have got to play in," Glover said. "Fun to be the first (home run) I got."
Tennessee High (22-4) advanced to the Region 1-AAA opening round on Monday at Rotary Field against the loser of Saturday's District 2-AAA championship game between Greeneville or Grainger. That game will be played at Rotary Field.Â
"Either team is going to be a dogfight," Tennessee High head coach David Boggs said.Â
David Crockett (21-14), which defeated Elizabethton, 7-0, in the loser's bracket final earlier on Thursday, will visit the winner of that game on Monday. The Region 1-AAA championship game will be played on Wednesday, with a sectional contest on tap for Friday, with the winner of that one advancing to the Class 3A state tournament in Murfreesboro the following week.Â
People are also reading…
"Coming out of the loser's bracket does make it tougher, but hats off to Tennessee High," David Crockett head coach Alex Dulaney said. "They earned that spot and they played well."
Tennessee High made it for 4-for-4 this season against the Pioneers, but the three previous games had been 2-1, 2-0 and 5-1.Â
"We have got a good ball team, but it is hard to beat a team like that, especially two or three times, and I would say we will be right back on this field again Wednesday if I were betting," Boggs said. "I think we win, I think they win, either team is going to be hard to beat when things are right. Coach Dulaney does a good job with those girls, they are very disciplined and they made some plays tonight at the beginning of the game, I was like 'Wow'. That was ESPN stuff."
Dulaney's daughter, Madelyn, tossed a no-hitter and Eva Marler drove in five runs in the earlier win over Elizabethton for the Pioneers, which had to turn around face the Vikings, which went undefeated in the Upper Lakes Conference this season.
"They didn't really tell me until that last inning," said Alex Dulaney, of his daughter's no-hitter. "I wasn't really paying attention, but she was throwing the ball well today, put it in great spots and the defense made great plays behind her. That was an important game for us, it helped us move on in the postseason."
David Crockett got back-to-back two-out doubles by Brylee Tullock and Laney Britton to take a 1-0 lead off Tennessee High ace Carly Compton in the top of the first inning. The Vikings were stifled early by Cara Wilson in the circle and the Pioneers also got terrific outfield defense from center fielder Julie Maupin, who made a remarkable catch against the center field fence, and Britton, who made several running plays in right. Â
"Really all of (our games) have been close until this one, but honestly, probably the best three innings that we have played against them is that we started the game off with," Alex Dulaney said. "We really loved that start, offensively and defensively. We hit the ball and made some amazing plays. Julie Maupin, the catch against the fence, that was one of the best plays I have seen all year."
After Tennessee High left runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, Glover put the Vikings up to stay with one out in the fourth, crushing a Wilson pitcher over the left field fence, which also Macie Strouth, who joined Addie Wilhoit with three hits each. She followed the advice of assistant coach Sammi Chaffin at the plate.Â
"I was just waiting because Chafin, our coach, tells us to wait on our pitch so I was waiting on our pitch to hit that one," she said.Â
She certainly found it. Her appreciative teammates were waiting for her at the plate.Â
"It was just very exciting," Glover said. "When I hit I don't really know I am hitting so it was nice to hit that. I think that got everybody in a rally, it made everyone excited so it made it funner. It was just fun because everyone was happy,"
That started a six-run rally paced by four hits - including a two-run single by Abby Hagy - and three David Crockett errors to take a 6-1 lead into the fifth. Glover added another hard-hit single in a five-run fifth that included RBI singles by Wilhoit, Haga and Strouth, who ended the game with an RBI single to end the game due to the 10-run mercy rule. Haga finished with three RBIs and Glover had two RBI and scored twice.Â
"Addison steps in there and she pulls off a couple of real shots for us tonight. She is a freshman, she kind of got thrown into the lineup at the end and she stepped up and she took care of business," Boggs said. "She really did. She is going to be a phenom down the road. She is a freshman. We haven't had to use her a whole lot and that is a high-nerve, high-pressure deal and we threw her in there tonight and she stepped up and responded, very proud of her.
That was more than enough for Compton, who celebrated her 18th birthday by retiring the final 13 batters in the game, striking out 10 over five innings as she continues to recover from an illness that left her sidelined last week.Â
"I am proud of our girls," said Compton, who pitched Tazewell to the Class 2 state championship last season. "We didn't come in cocky, we knew we were expected to win, but we came in and from the start this morning we were like 'Yeah, we have a job to do. We are prepared for it' and everything played out."Â
Compton's 18th birthday was definitely memorable, earning hardware as the most valuable player of the District 1-AAA tournament.Â
"It definitely was," she said.Â
Compton was joined in the all-tournament team by leadoff batter Kaylee Hughes, who walked three times, scored twice and was robbed of extra bases by Maupin's first inning web gem against the center field fence. Lily Ware, Wilhoit and Hagy also received hardware.Â
Dulaney, Maupin and Mauler represented the Pioneers, who will make a road trip on Monday to Greeneville or Grainger.Â
"We will go see one of them and we will bring our best game," Alex Dulaney said.Â
Glover expects the Vikings to do the same. She certainly likes her team.Â
"We all just love each other," she said. "We all coach each other and help each other and everyone loves each other. We are just a big family."
David Crockett 100 00 - 1 2 4
Tennessee High 000 65 - 11 10 0Â
Wilson, Dunbar (5) and Orren. Compton and Hagy. W-Compton; L-Wilson. HR-Glover (TH) 4th, 1 on.Â
All-District 1-AAA All-Tournament TeamÂ
MVP: Carly Compton, Tennessee HighÂ
Olivia Ashbrook, Sullivan East;Â Lela Byrd, Elizabethton;Â Madelyn Dulaney, David Crockett;Â Kyndal Engle, Unicoi County;Â Abby Haga, Tennessee High;Â Kaylee Hughes, Tennessee High;Â Molly Johnson, Elizabethton;Â Eva Marler, David Crockett;Â Julie Maupin, David Crockett;Â Kaley Toney, Unicoi County;Â Lily Ware, Tennessee High;Â Addie Wilhoit, Tennessee High.Â