CHAPEL HILL, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (6-4, 1-1) dropped game one of their two-game District 9-AA series at Chapel Hill (8-4, 3-0) on Monday night in a low-scoring affair, 3-2.

Both teams committed three errors, but the situational pitching from both sides was exceptional to consistently find a way to escape jams with runners in scoring position. 

Chapel Hill gave the ball to Reid Gentry, and the senior managed to work through all 7.0 innings without giving up an earned run. Gentry gave up two unearned runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts on 108 pitches. 

For Cascade, A.J. Manus got the start on the mound initially, but he was pulled after getting two outs for Jayce Cagle. Manus’ final statline read 0.2 innings pitched with one earned run given up one one hit and one walk with one strikeout on 23 pitches. Cagle would last 2.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks with two strikeouts on 59 pitches before Dawson Youngblood relieved him.

Youngblood lasted 2.2 innings, giving up no runs on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts on 33 pitches before Wickey Parker came on to record the final out via strikeout. 

Cascade manufactured its first run of the game on the basepaths with a somewhat wonky play. First, Caleb Crouch attempted to steal third base, which he did successfully. The Rockets’ catcher threw behind Crouch initially to second, and the second baseman – Branham Haynes – had his throw sail over the third baseman’s head and into the Chapel Hill dugout. This allowed Crouch to score and Jordan Childress to reach third base on the error to tie the game at 1-1.

Wickey Parker then stepped up to bat, and he delivered a pop-up to centerfield which looked to be the second out of the inning, but the Chapel Hill fielders lost the ball in the dusk sky, allowing it to land in the field of play and score Childress from third to give the Champs a 2-1 lead.

However, that lead would not last long. The Rockets tied the game in the home half of the third, and then they scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the fourth when a throw into the outfield allowed Houston Matlock to trot home from third base.

Cascade had a chance to tie or take the lead in the top of the fifth when a leadoff single from Childress and a one-out double from Parker put runners on second and third with less than two outs. However, Gentry was able to induce a foul pop-out and a groundout to eliminate the threat and eventually secure the Rockets’ win.

Overall, Cascade out-hit the Rockets, 6-5, and left eight on base at the plate. Childress finished 1-for-4, Xykaiah Dixon went 1-for-4, and Wickey Parker went a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and one RBI with a walk. Elijah Wesenberg came up with the other hit, finishing 1-for-3.

Cascade looks to even the series at home on Tuesday night with first-pitch set for 6:00 p.m.