LORETTO, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (5-2, 1-0) got off to a strong start in District 9-AA play with a 6-0 win over the Loretto Mustangs (3-2, 0-1) on Monday.

Senior lefty Jayden Hathcock was dominant on the mound for the Champions, throwing a complete 7.0 innings with just three hits allowed while striking out 11 batters and walking zero on 93 pitches.

Hathcock first made his presence known at the plate, coming up with a big two-out, 2-RBI double into right field that plated the first two runs of the day in the top of the first inning after Xykaiah Dixon had singled and Daymien Maldonado had walked. River Maddox drove Hathcock home with a bloop single into center to give Cascade a 3-0 lead heading into the home half of the first.

Loretto’s starter, Dillion Thompson, got through the second and third innings unscathed, but Cascade was able to tack on another run in the fourth inning. Elijah Wesenberg worked a leadoff walk then Thomas Demertelaere bunted Wesenberg to second. Caleb Crouch followed that up with a bunt of his own, and Crouch used his speed to reach first safely for a single and flip the lineup over to Jordan Childress with just one out. Childress’ ground ball to Loretto’s shortstop Grant Fisher resulted in just a single out at second, allowing Wesenberg to score and give the visitors a 4-0 lead heading into the home half.

Thompson held Cascade scoreless in the fifth, but he was pulled from the game before the sixth inning after throwing 83 pitches. Thompson pitched 5.0 innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts. John Will Tucker came on in relief for the top of the sixth.

After tallying the first two outs, an error from Fisher allowed Crouch to reach safely and once again flip the lineup over. This time, Childress delivered an RBI-single to put Cascade in front 5-0.

Hathcock struck out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth, and Cascade would generate one final insurance run in the top of the seventh after Wickey Parker led off with a triple. Maldonado followed that up with an RBI-double into center field to grow the Champions’ lead to 6-0. 

At the plate for the Champions, Childress finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs, Dixon went 2-for-4, and Parker batted 1-for-4 with a triple. Maldonado went 1-for-3 with an RBI-double, Hathcock finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Maddox batted 1-for-4 with one RBI. Wesenberg finished 1-for-3 with a walk, and Caleb Crouch provided a spark at the bottom of the order after going 2-for-3 with a run scored. 

Cascade improves to 5-2 overall, and looks to sweep the series at home on Tuesday with first-pitch set for 6:00 p.m.