Hayden Skipper of CHS baseball
After getting washed out on Thursday, the Central High School baseball team opened play in the Rebel Classic on Saturday morning with a doubleheader at Powers Field. For the 3rd game in a row the Red Raiders scored 10 or more runs. Coffee County came away with a pair of run rule wins as they stopped Cleveland 11 to 1 and White County 10 to 0.
In the morning game against Cleveland, the Red Raiders banged out 11 hits, including 3 doubles to capture the win. Tied at 1 entering the 3rd, the Raiders rallied for 5 runs as they supplemented their 5 hits with a walk and a hit batter. Coffee County stretched the lead to 9 to 1 in the 5th before ending the game via the mercy rule with a 3 run 6th inning. Hayden Skipper had 3 hits, including a double to lead the hitting attack. Noah Anderson added a single and 3 RBI.
In the afternoon game, Skipper took the mound and was masterful as he threw a 4 hit shutout over White County. After taking a 1 to 0 lead into the 4th, Coffee County exploded for 9 runs in the 4th and 5th innings to end the game via the mercy rule and complete the doubleheader sweep. The Red Raiders had 9 hits, but 6 of those were doubles. Jacob Langham had 2 doubles with 2 RBI. Garrett Eldridge had a double and a single and scored twice while Nathaniel Tate had a single and an RBI.
The win improves the Red Raiders record to 8 and 8 overall with a 5 and 3 district record. The Red Raiders return to district play on Tuesday when they travel to Columbia to tangle with the Lions. The Red Raiders return to Powers Field on Wednesday night to host Columbia. Both games begin at 6 PM.
