Miller’s blast keys

Watauga comeback
By Steve Behr

TAYLORSVILLE — Watauga had already left the bases loaded one inning when Kyle Miller walked to the plate.

Miller, the Pioneers’ first baseman, watched Alexander Central get out of a jam in the top of the fourth inning when the Cougars turned a game-ending double play with the bases loaded. It preserved a four-run lead and was another thing that went wrong for the Pioneers.

With one swing of the bat, Miller powered the Pioneers right back into the game. Miller cracked a grand slam in the fifth inning, Watauga scored four more runs in the sixth inning, and raced past Alexander Central 12-8 in a Northwestern 4-A Conference road victory Monday night.

Watauga (8-2, 5-1 NWC) finished the first NWC rotation with a half-game lead over South Caldwell and McDowell, both winners Monday night in make-up games. The Pioneers have a bye in the conference schedule Tuesday, but play at non-conference foe Mount Tabor Tuesday night.

Looming Friday night is a showdown at South Caldwell, a 6-2 winner over A.C. Reynolds Monday night. Watauga beat South Caldwell 12-6 in Boone the first game of the NWC season.

“We don’t know where we’re going to finish in this conference, because it’s been a battle every time out,” Watauga coach Pete Hardee said. “(Mount Tabor) is an important game for us and our pitching staff. I don’t know how long we’ll leave (Will) Littlejohn in the game because we may need him Friday.”

The Pioneers stumbled out of the dugout against Alexander Central by not making plays defensively in the first two innings that allowed the Cougars to take a 2-0 lead. Alexander Central (5-5, 2-3) seemed to be in control of the game when it scored five runs in the third to take a 7-3 advantage. Jon Millsaps belted a two-run home run three batters after Will Marlowe’s two-run single.

“I was surprised that we we really weren't ready to play,” Hardee said. “I had to get myself kind of pumped up. I don’t know if it was because it was a Monday or being on the road on a Monday after a day when we don’t practice.”

Watauga started to get to Alexander Central starter Taylor Miller in the third inning by scoring three runs, two on a single by Matt Phillips and another on a Kyle Miller double. But Kyle Miller saved his best for the fifth when he greeted new pitcher Tylor Gilleland with a grand slam.

Taylor Miller helped the Pioneers by hitting Adam Church with a pitch and then by walking Trey Lowder and Phillips. Kyle Miller finished the game going 2-for-3 from the plate with six RBIs — he drove in a run in the sixth with a fielder’s choice.

“He threw me a couple of curveballs and I went down one-and-two (in the count),” Miller said. “I was thinking that I have to fight the ball off and he hung a curveball down and in and I just wanted to drive the runs in and hit it hard somewhere.”

Once Watauga’s offense snapped out of its temporary fog, the Pioneers scored runs in bunches. A four-run rally in the sixth inning, keyed by an RBI single by Cal Hardee and a two-run single by Chris Shelton — combined with Miller’s RBI, gave Watauga an 11-7 lead.

“I kept thinking that we’ll let them scratch and claw for runs and hopefully we’ll get a big inning,” Pete Hardee said. “We’re not really a bunting team this year, so we kind of sit back and wait for the big inning and it’s worked so far.”

The Pioneers finished with 13 hits overall, and got two each from Baine Martin, Hardee, Church, and Miller.
Alexander Central collected nine hits off Hardee, Watauga’s starter on the mound, and seven more off relief pitcher Jon Sharpe. Gilleland went 4-for-5 and both Marlowe and Lucas LaSalle went 3-for-4 for the Cougars. LaSalle also scored three runs.

“We hadn’t been on the field since last Tuesday,” Kyle Miller said. “We had a lot of rain and we’ve been in the building. There were a lot of funny bounces and they had a lot of small hits, but we fought through it and started to hit the ball in the end and came out with a good win.”

Watauga 12, Alex. Central 8
Watauga 003 044 1 — 12 13 1
Alex. Central 115 001 0 — 8 16 2
Hardee, Sharpe (3) and Church. Miller, Gilleland (5), Millsaps (6) and LaSalle. W—Sharpe (3-1), L—Gilleland (2-2). LOB—Watauga 7, Alexander Central 9. 2B—Watauga, Martin, Miller; Alexander Central, Gilleland, Marlow. HR—Watauga, Miller; Alexander Central, Millsaps. SH—Alexander Central, Tedder, Fox, Galliher. CS—Watauga, Hardee, Church, Miller. HBP—Church (by Miller). DP—Watauga 1, Alexander Central 1