By Harlen Hunley and Ty Edds
HMMS vs. Seymour
The Horace Maynard Baseball team has been rolling since an opening day loss on Tuesday March 2, as they traveled to Seymour in a 2-1 loss.
The Red Devils played solid defense with solid pitching as eighth grader Ty Edds toed the rubber and was relieved by Garret Graves trying to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. As a bloop hit to left scored the winning run from third base in the last inning. Edds, Maddix Wyrick, and Aiden Bowman all had hits in the game for the Red Devils.
“That’s a tough loss, but have got to improve our ability to get bunts down and move runners as we left the bases loaded twice and scored only one run. We will improve,” stated Head Coach John Edds.
HMMS vs. Claiborne
Since the Seymour loss, the Red Devils have posted three straight wins. On March 3, the Red Devils played host to the Claiborne Middle School team that saw the bats come alive as the Red Devil blanked the Bulldogs 11-0.
Eighth grader Jake Ryder got the start on the hill for the Red Devils and was relieved by Maddix Wyrick to prevent a higher pitch count. Ryder struck out five and walked two.
Wyrick had one K in his two-thirds inning pitched. Catcher Ty Edds led the way with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs for the Red Devils, along with third baseman Brandon Reed, Wyrick and sixth grader Aiden Bowman having multiple hits and two RBIs each.
Sixth grade left fielder Lincoln Barton also contributed with a run-scoring hit to help the cause to secure the rout. “Tonight we got good pitching, timely hitting and good defense. We’ve been solid defensively so far this season,” Coach Edds says.
HMMS vs. Northview
On Friday March 5, the Red Devils hosted another conference foe in the Northview Cougars Middle School. The Cougars came in with a solid pitching performance from the start to the finish, which didn’t end in their favor.
The Cougars jumped out early scoring on an error, stolen base and a two-out hit to go up 1-0. They added runs in the third and fifth to go up 3-0 over the cold bats of the Red Devils in a chilly night in Maynardville.
With the game on the line in the last opportunity, the Red Devils got a big two-out hit from sixth grade pinch hitter Van Richardson. This got the Devils back to the top of the lineup where Ty Edds showed his speed hustling down the line for an infield hit to deep short.
Next batter Tucker Flannigan drew a base on balls which brought Maddix Wyrick to the plate to deliver the final blow of the game. Wyrick ended the game on a 2-1 count with a home run for the walk off.
“I told ‘em to just believe and compete and let the chips fall—what a game and a great team comeback victory” says Coach Edds.
Pitching was solid on both sides as Wyrick and relief pitcher Brandon Reed kept the Cougars intact.
HMMS vs. Cocke County Middle
Horace Maynard hosted Cocke County Middle School from Newport. The Red Devils gave the Fighting Cocks a Maynardville welcome of a lopsided win 16-1.
Ty Edds got the start on the bump to get the win for the Red Devils. Relievers Garret Graves and Jake Ryder came in to soundly keep the bats of Cocke County cold. Harlen Hunley got a big hit to score three runs in the second to propel the Red Devils to victory.
Edds and Van Richardson added hits for Horace Maynard.
“We took care of business tonight and got a lot of players some playing time who are competing, which is making our team better” stated Coach Edds on the win.
The Red Devils were 3-1 and 3-0 in the Appalachian Conference play.
Horace Maynard played host to Knoxville Catholic Middle School March 17 on a rainy evening that found the Red Devils in a battle.
Eighth grader Ty Edds got the start on the mound and held the bats of Knox Catholic to zero runs on two hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
With a lead of 5-0, on another rainy baseball game, the Red Devils went to the pen and let the game get interesting.
After a host of relief pitchers to finish the game, the Red Devils found themselves up 5-4, bases loaded with Catholic runners. Coach Edds called on 8th grader Jake Ryder to get the job done, and that’s what he did.
Ryder gets the batter to hit a come-backer on a 1-0 breaking ball to him, he throws home, and the catcher Harlen Hunley throws the hitter out at first for a quick double play. Ryder gets the same result on the next batter as he grounds out to end the comeback by Knox Catholic. Edds, 7th grade third baseman Brandon Reed and Hunley each had hits to propel the Red Devil offense. Horace Maynard record: 4 wins vs. 1 loss overall and 3-0 in the Appalachian Valley Conference.
The Red Devils secured another win on a rainy day over Rutledge (11-3) with their performances of starting pitcher Jake Ryder on the mound and Ty Edds behind the plate.
The Red Devils bats were hot, and the pitching was solid. Ryder started the game pitching, and Maddix Wyrick came in relief to shut the Pioneers down. Ryder surrendered one run on zero hits over two-and-one-half innings while striking out four.
The Red Devils fired up their offense in the first inning, when Wyrick grounded out for a RBI, scoring one run. HMMS Red Devils totaled ten hits in the game on that rainy night.
Ty Edds, Tucker Flannigan, Jake Ryder and Harlen Hunley each managed multiple hits for the Red Devils. Edds led HMMS with three hits out of three at-bats. Horace Maynard socked two home runs on the night. Ryder went deep in the third inning scoring two and Edds went a yard in the fourth scoring three.
The Red devils tore up the base paths. Flannigan led the team with two stolen bases. The win ran the Red Devils season record to 4-1.
HMMS 12 – Cumberland Gap 2
Horace Maynard traveled to Cumberland Gap for a conference game against the Panthers. The Red Devils were too much for Cumberland Gap as they were defeated 12-2. Horace Maynard's patience at the plate gave them several walks and the Red Devils added a couple hits to bury the Panthers.
HMMS 5 – Carter 8
Carter Middle School visited Horace Maynard and escaped with a 8-5 victory over the Red Devils. Untimely errors and walks were an issue the Red Devils couldn't overcome as the Hornets added unearned runs in the third inning. The Devils made it interesting in their last at-bat to load the bases with two outs but couldn’t turn the lineup over for another comeback.
Red Devils: 4-0 in conference play and 5-2 overall.
HMMS 12 – Campbell Co 2
The Red Devils baseball team welcomed the Cougars from Campbell County by adding another conference win in a 12-2 victory. The Cougars struck first, off Red Devil pitcher Maddix Wyrick in the first inning to score two before the Red Devils settled in to shut the bats down the next couple of innings and handed the ball off to reliever Brandon Reed for a lights-out performance as he threw the ball by the Cougars. Horace Maynard was led in hitting with home runs by Tucker Flannigan and Harlen Hunley, and Jake Ryder had a two-hit game to propel the Red Devil win. Red Devils: 5-0 in conference and 6-2 overall as they headed into spring break.