Watauga off to fast start
Garinger no match

for WHS depth
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

The plan, drawn up by Watauga baseball coach Pete Hardee, was in place.

Just score some early runs against Garinger in the first round of the state 4-A playoffs, get some pitchers some work, and win the game, preferably in five innings.

The plan worked, eventually, though the early runs were delayed a bit. Watauga broke a scoreless tie by scoring 12 runs in the third inning of its 14-0 victory over the Wildcats at Watauga’s field Friday night. The game was shortened to five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

The pitching part of the plan went off without much of a hitch. Though starter Jon Sharpe did not have his best stuff, he still struck out six and allowed just an infield hit and two walks in two innings’ work.

Tyler Moore, the likely starter Tuesday when the Pioneers (17-10) play at East Forsyth, pitched the top of the inning, striking out three, but walking two.

“I was getting a little frustrated early in the game,” Hardee said. “We took a horrible infield before the game and we weren’t very focused going into the game. It’s really hard to get focused in a game like this.”

It was the bottom of the third inning that allowed Hardee’s plan to come together.

Watauga banged out nine hits and sent 17 batters to the plate in the inning. Trey Dunnigan belted a three-run home run, and Austin Story followed two batters later with a two-run shot, which gave Watauga a 6-0 lead.

“I got behind earlier in the count,” Story said. “I wasn’t really looking to hit a home run, but I just hit it and it happened to go out.”

The Pioneers were only halfway through. A Cal Hardee single drove in two runs, and a single by Baine Martin followed by back-to-back RBI doubles by Dunnigan and Trey Lowder put the Pioneers in front 12-0.

It took Watauga two innings to adjust to pitcher David Johnson, who did not throw as fast as several Northwestern 4-A Conference pitchers the Pioneers had faced this year.

“I guess it was kind of an adjustment,” Cal Hardee said. “It’s kind of hard to get started with pitching like that. It’s really slow. You’re trying not to pop out and yet you’re also trying to hit it hard.”

Dunnigan finished with four RBIs, while Lowder had two doubles. Hardee went 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Story also had two hits. Kyle Miller also doubled and scored in the third inning.

“Everybody wasn’t letting back and waiting and not being very selective with their hitting,” Story said. “We needed a round to get through it.”

The 12-run lead was more than enough for relief pitcher Will Dicus to preserve. Dicus struck out the first two Wildcats he faced and eventually allowed two hits, both in the fifth inning.

However, Watauga’s defense got Dicus out of trouble by turning a game-ending Ethan Moyer-to-Chris Shelton-to-Dunnigan double play.

“I just wanted to throw strikes and be relaxed,” Dicus said. “I worked in the breaking ball and I was happy that coach Hardee had confidence in me.”

Garinger (9-10), the No. 3 seed from the Queen City Conference, had three hits and committed four errors.

Tommy Johnson, David Johnson and Josh Heidle each had singles for the Wildcats, though David Johnson’s was the only one that left the infield.

“We got Sharpe some work, we got Tyler some work and I thought Will Dicus pitched extremely well,” Hardee said.

Watauga 14, Garinger 0 (5 innings)
Garinger 000 00 — 0 3 4
Watauga 00(12) 2X — 14 15 1
D. Johnson, T. Johnson and Tanks. Sharpe, Moore (3), Dicus (4) and Church. W—Moore (6-4), L—D. Johnson (3-4). LOB—Garinger 7, Watauga 7 2B—Watauga, Church, Dunnigan, Lowder 2, Miller. HR—Watauga, Story, Dunnigan. HBP—Watauga, Stewart, Church. SB—Watauga, Moyer, Hardee, Gordon, Story. CI—Garinger, Beasley. DP—Watauga 1.