Jackets fall to Ringgold in Region 6-AAA opening game
Calhoun can’t cash in on scoring chances as Tigers capitalize on miscues
Two of the preseason favorites to win Region 6-AAA went at it on Tuesday night to open up the region schedule, and one team got an early leg up while the other will have to make up some ground due to the loss.
Calhoun hosted defending 6-AAA champ Ringgold, and the Tigers took advantage of a few miscues to turn them into runs early on, which was all the support starter Nathan Camp needed to send the Jackets to a 6-2 loss.
Ringgold ( 9- 4, 1- 0 in 6-AAA) scored four runs in the second inning on an error and a two-run blast by Camp to jump out ahead and never relinquish control of the game. The Tigers scored their first run on an error and then added another on a wild pitch. Camp then stepped to the plate and cranked a two-run homer over the center-field fence to make it 4-0.
A few innings later, Camp came through once again with a two-out, RBI-single to make it 5-0 in the fourth, but Calhoun (6-3, 0-1) threatened in the fifth by loading the bases with no outs. Camp got out of the jam, however, allowing just one to score on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Calhoun’s Mathew Williams.
“We had opportunities to get back in the game, but we’ve got to take the bat off our shoulder,” said Calhoun coach Chip Henderson. “Our pitchers were able to keep it close, but against a team as good as Ringgold, you can’t make mistakes. The three games we’ve lost so far this year have been because we made some mistakes, and the other team has taken advantage of it. We’ve got to find a way to remedy that.
“In a situation like we had in the fifth with the bases loaded, you think about all the different things you can do to get a few runs in, but you just have to hope someone gets a big hit or makes something happen. We were only able to get one run out of that situation, and that hurt because it could’ve been a chance to turn the game around. We’ve got to get the bat off our shoulders and cut down on strikeouts.”
Calhoun got another run in the sixth to pull within 5-2 when John Andrew Cash came home to score on an error after doubling to lead off the inning, but Ringgold’s Andre Tarver added another insurance run by leading off the seventh with an opposite-field solo homer.
The Jackets got the leadoff runner on to start the bottom of the seventh, but Ringgold reliever Holden Tucker closed the door by striking out the side.
Camp went six innings for the win for Ringgold as he allowed two runs (both unearned) on two hits, struck out five and walked three before Tucker worked the scoreless seventh.
At the plate for Ringgold, Camp was 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. Tarver also had two hits with his solo homer and a double, and Tucker, Dalton Schley, Ty Jones and Johnny Camilucci all added one hit apiece. Wyatt Tennant reached base three times on walks and scored two runs.
Calhoun’s only two hits in the game came from Cash and Carson Kemp. Williams drew two walks and had an RBI, and Hagen Banks scored a run after reaching on an error.
Davis Allen took the loss for the Jackets after going four innings and giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out eight. Brady Drummond was solid in relief, going three innings and allowing one run on two hits while striking out three.
“I’m proud of Brady,” said Henderson. “He came in against a quality team and shut them down. He used some good off-speed stuff and was able to sneak his fast ball by them a few times. We pitched pretty well tonight overall, but we made a few mistakes and Ringgold is a solid ball club that will make those hurt. We’ve got to do more with the bat ourselves and cut down on strikeouts.”
Henderson said you always want to start the region schedule with a win, but his team has battled back from adversity before, including finishing fourth in the region last season and advancing all the way to the Class AAA Final Four. He said he hopes this year’s team has that same kind of resilience.
“We’ve been here before,” said Henderson. “You always want to win a region championship, but ultimately, you play to get to the postseason and see what you can do there. We have lost early region games before. We will try to bounce back and get back to playing good baseball in every phase of the game. We will have the opportunity to play (Ringgold) again down the line, and hopefully we can get one back on them.”
Calhoun was on the road at rival Sonoraville on Thursday for another big region showdown. (For details on that game, see Wednesday’s Calhoun Times.) They will visit LFO on Friday at 5:55 p.m.