Big fifth

lifts Pioneers
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga’s Peter Hardee likes the idea of waiting for a big inning instead of playing smallball, like the Pioneers have the last few years. In the Pioneers’ 6-2 Northwestern 4-A Conference win over McDowell at Watauga’s field Thursday, Watauga (4-2, 2-0 NWC) needed just one inning to beat the Titans (2-5, 0-2) — the fifth.

In the fifth, the Pioneers exploded for six runs, all with two outs. Trey Dunnigan delivered a two-run home run to get things going, but the Pioneers added four more runs.

Dunnigan hit the first pitch, a curveball, that McDowell pitcher Justin Johnson offered him.

“He had been starting us all off with a first-pitch curveball,” Dunnigan said. “I just sat on it.”

Those last four runs could have been avoided had Austin Story, who struck out following Dunnigan’s blast, gone back to the bench. However, Johnson’s third strike on Story could not be controlled by catcher Brent Rowe.

It allowed Story to take first base and keep the rally alive. Story scored on a Adam Church double, who eventually scored on a Trey Lowder infield single. Lowder scored on a Cal Hardee walk, while Jake Wallace, who also walked, scored on a bunt by Ethan Moyer.

“Johnson’s a good pitcher,” Dunnigan said. “He was throwing pretty hard and his deuce was working for a strike. We knew we were going to hit him. I just figured hey, why not start now.”

It was all Watauga pitcher Jon Sharpe needed. Sharpe pitched 5 2/3 innings, striking out two and allowing two hits. His only major mistake was giving up a solo home run to Shane Brown on an 0-2 pitch.

Sharpe, after sitting through Watauga’s rally in the fifth inning, walked the bases loaded in the sixth. After getting two outs, he walked in a run and was pulled in favor of Tyler Moore, who pitched five innings two days earlier in a 10-0 win over Freedom.

“It was hard to get Tyler loose in time,” Hardee said. “Plus, I kind of like to give that starter a chance to give up a run before you jerk him out of the thing because it looked like (Sharpe) was going to get out of the inning for a minute.”

McDowell was limited to two hits, while the Pioneers finished with nine. Lowder, Church and Baine Martin each had two hits for Watauga.

Watauga 6, McDowell 2
McDowell 010 001 0 — 2 2 1
Watauga 000 060 X — 6 9 0
Johnson, Hopkins (5) and Rowe. Sharpe, Moore (6) and Church. W—Sharpe (2-0), L—Johnson. LOB—McDowell 6, Watauga 9. 2B—Watauga, Church. HR—McDowell, Brown; Watauga, Dunnigan. SB—Watauga, Lowder. DP—McDowell 1. HBP—Watauga, Baker (by Hopkins).