Avery had difficulty generating offense against Madison star pitcher Laurel Gregg pitched another masterful no-hit effort, striking out 15 Lady Vikings and surrendering only a walk to Morgan Yackey, who actually reached base twice in the game as she was also hit by a Gregg pitch in her second at-bat of the contest.
Madison picked up two runs in the first inning and four in the second before Avery starter Yackey and the Lady Vikings defense held the Lady Patriots scoreless for the next two innings. Madison picked up a single run in the fifth, then put the game away with a four-run sixth inning for the win, improving the team's record to 19-1 overall, and 11-1 in conference play.
Avery finishes the regular season with five victories and will wait until Sunday or Monday to find out if they qualify for the state playoffs and what potential opponent they may face.
The Vikings baseball team travels to Bryson City where it will take on the 19-2 Swain County Maroon Devils. Swain went undefeated in Smoky Mountain Conference play to claim its league championship, and boasts a University of Tennessee recruit in southpaw pitcher Josh Allman.“Josh isn’t an overpowering pitcher,” says Swain County coach Brandon Deitz. “He throws in the mid-80s, but he is smart pitcher. He has been trained well. He throws a lot of off speed.”
The Maroon Devils played perennial power West Henderson on Monday, and ended its conference season with a win over Murphy. The following appeared in the Smoky Mountain Times newspaper:
"West avenged an early season loss to the Devils by taking a 6-5 win. But for the Maroon Devils it was great preparation for the 1A playoffs. The game itself went nine innings before the Falcons pushed across the winning run.
Brad Roland picked up the tough luck loss, but pitched brilliantly working seven full innings. Cory Hipp hit 3-5 while Luke Burton went 2-3.Against Murphy, the Devils built a 6-2 lead and then held off a furious Bulldog rally in the seventh to take a 6-4 win.
Nick Lyons drove in a pair of runs, while Cory Hipp went 2-3 with an rbi and a run scored. Hipp added two stolen bases as well.Josh Allman picked up the win for the Devils. Allman worked out of seventh inning trouble by striking out the final batter with the bases loaded. He struck out nine while scattering six hits."
Swain is a senior-laden team that Coach Benny Wellborn knows will be a tough team to beat, especially at home. "We know we have a tough one against Swain, they're ranked number one is the state for a reason. I think if we're able to put the ball in play, we have a shot. Anything can happen in the playoffs," the coach said.
The keys to tonight's game are simple. Avery must make routine plays and not give the Maroon Devils extra outs, and will utilize its versatile pitching staff to try to keep Swain off balance. Also, the team must hit the baseball, as the Vikings are hitting under .300 as a team.
"We have cut down on some errors in the field from the beginning of the year, and as long as our bats come alive, anything can happen." First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Bryson City, and we hope to post the final score and a brief wrap-up shortly after the game (if web access makes it possible).
