Generals rally past Warriors

The Heritage Generals gave up five runs in the top of the first inning, but battled back with six unanswered runs to record a 6-5 home win over Catoosa County rival LFO last Monday.

The Warriors stormed out of the gates as the first four batters reached base with hits. Eli Walker and Tanner Mantooth each singled before Will Carroll and Peyton Tipton ripped back-to-back Rbi-doubles.

A pair of flyball outs would follow, but the Generals were unable to avoid more damage as Dylan Blankenship blasted a three-run shot to centerfield for his first career high school homerun and a 5-0 lead.

However, that five-run margin didn’t last very long.

Taylor Vinson came through with a clutch two-out, tworun single in the bottom of the second to cut into the lead and Heritage tacked on three more runs in the third to tie things up.

After Cannon Stafford was hit by a pitch to begin the inning, Brady Chandler laced an Rbi-triple and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Max Owens. Landen Skeen drew a walk and Gage Shaver bunted for a hit before Skeen scored on a two-out error to tie the game.

Then in the bottom of the fourth, a one-out walk was followed by a single and then an error that allowed Stafford to score the go-ahead run. Heritage was unable to add any more to their lead, however, as left fielder Carson Goff threw out Chandler at the plate.

Unfortunately for the Warriors and their fans who made the drive from Fort Oglethorpe, the Redand-white would go 1-2-3 in their final three at-bats. Vinson finished the game in style by diving to his right to rob LFO of a possible hit before diving back the other way to tag the bag with his glove for the final out.

May settled down after the shaky first inning and finished with two strikeouts over five frames. He gave up five earned runs on six hits, but just one hit over his final four innings of work. Chandler recorded the two-inning save, striking out two batters in two hitless innings of relief.

Chandler also finished 2 for 4 at the plate, while Owens had a single.

For LFO, Walker and Donnie Brown had singles at the plate.

Walker started the game on the mound and pitched into the third, allowing four earned runs on two hits with two walks. Blankenship gave up two unearned runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two official innings pitched. Brown threw the last two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two.

The Generals fell at home to Ooltewah a day later, 7-6. Coverage of that games is available on our website.

Scott Herpst LFO catcher Donnie Brown tags out Heritage’s Brady Chandler at the plate to prevent a run during last week’s game in Boynton. The Generals, however, rallied from a 5-0 first-inning deficit and beat the Warriors, 6-5.