Huntingdon baseball clinches regular-season conference title

By Wesley Lyle

Sports Information Director

MARYVILLE, Tenn. – The Huntingdon baseball team pounded out 19 hits and scored 13 runs to knock off Maryville 13-7 on Friday. With the win, the Hawks (25-10, 8-2 Great South Athletic Conference) clinched the regular-season GSAC title.

The Hawks have a three-game lead in the GSAC standings with two conference games remaining. Huntingdon and Maryville (17-17, 4-6 GSAC) are scheduled to play the second game of a three-game series on Saturday, weather permitting. First pitch is currently set for 2 p.m.

In Friday's win, Huntingdon scored six runs in the first inning and seven runs in the final four innings.

Tyler Blackwell led Huntingdon at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBIs and two runs. Blackwell's homer in the sixth inning gave the Hawks a 7-4 lead.

The Hawks carried a 7-5 lead into the eighth before scoring three runs on four hits. A Grant Brown triple scored Seth Currie and a Chad Baxley double scored Brown. Joseph Odom closed the inning's scoring with a single that scored Baxley.

In the ninth inning, Brown singled to score Evan Agnew and Blackwell scored on a Baxley ground out. Odom singled in Currie to give the Hawks a 13-5 lead.

Huntingdon's first six runs came on six hits and an error in the first inning. Baxley scored the first run when Jordan Freeman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. An Austin White single scored Odom and Trey Smith. Freeman scored on an error to make it 4-0 before White scored on a Blackwell single and Agnew stole home to make it a 6-0 game.

Baxley and Odom each finished with three hits and Brown, Smith, White and Currie each had two hits.

Grant Lowman (6-1) picked up the win, striking out five, walking three, allowing 10 hits and four runs in six innings.