Friday, October 12, 2012

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2012) - Freshman infielder Trey York (Knox, Tenn.) went 3-for-3 with a triple, home run and drove in all four of his team's runs, leading the Blue team to a 4-2 series-opening win over Gold on Friday night at Thomas Stadium.

The Blue team got five strong innings from junior left-hander Jared Burton (Knoxville, Tenn.) – who allowed two runs on five hits. Meanwhile, freshman lefty Josh Jacques (Rollinsford, N.H.) suffered some tough luck and was dealt the loss as the Buccaneer rookie allowed four runs on six hits in five innings of work.

In the top of the first, York tripled in senior outfielder Andrew Green (Powell, Tenn.) – who led off the game with a single. Then, in the top of the third, the Blue squad strung together back-to-back singles by Green and Brandon Wilson (Sevierville, Tenn.) – and after Jeremy Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt – York blasted a three-run homer, which gave his team enough offense to propel Blue to the victory.

Gold responded in the bottom half of the inning, when senior catcher Mason Hershey (Altoona, Pa.) singled and freshman Dylan Powers (Blue Ridge, Va.) cut the deficit in half with a deep two-run home run to left, making it a 4-2 ballgame.

However, freshmen pitchers Timmy Ferrell (Okeechobee, Fla.) and Kameron Miller (Crestview, Fla.) combined for three scoreless innings to preserve the victory for the Blue team. Gold also receive solid contributions out of the bullpen as freshman right-hander Peyton Taylor (Kingsport, Tenn.) tossed two scoreless innings and junior righty Will Chesney (Knoxville, Tenn.) pitched a scoreless inning as well.

Offensively, the Gold team was led by Powers as he earned a pair of walks to go with his two-run shot in the third. Along with York, Green finished with two hits, while freshman catcher Andrew Lasure (Stanford, Ky.) also added two hits.

The Gold team will look to even the series on Saturday as first pitch is set for at 11 a.m. Junior lefty Clinton Freeman (Jonesborough, Tenn.) will take the mound for Gold, while senior Kerry Doane (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) gets the starting nod for Blue. Saturday’s game will be a 7-inning contest.

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