CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville High and Rossview High baseball teams went head-to-head this week in a two-game series.
Coming into the matchup, each team was ranked in the top 10 of the TBCA Class 4A rankings. The Wildcats were rated as the second overall team in the 4A rankings, and the Hawks were eight spots behind Clarksville High in 10th place.
The two Clarksville area teams put up a dog fight in each game played, but the two went on to split the series 1-1.
Game one
Rossview High hosted game one of the series, and the two powerhouse teams did not disappoint.
Pitching was the name of the game throughout the contest. The Hawks’ ace, Cannon Rice, started the game on the mound for the home team. The Austin Peay commit tossed a complete game while only allowing 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 4 walks and he struck out 9 batters.
On the flip side, Chipper Harris was the starting pitcher for CHS. Harris started the game off with a 1-2-3 inning, but he had trouble commanding his pitches early into the second inning.
He walked three out of the first four batters in the second inning, and he hit one of the opposing batters with a pitch as well.
Harris was able to limit the number of runs scored in the inning, but the damage had already been done. Clarksville High allowed 3 runs to score as Rossview High took an early lead. From that point forward, the Hawks did not look back and won the game by a score of 3-1.
Game two
Clarksville High baseball hosted the second game of the series, and the team was hungry for a victory after falling to their rival the day before.
Each team was much more fluent on the offensive side of the ball entering the matchup. In the bottom of the second, Clarksville High scored the first runs of the game after an error and wild pitch.
However, Rossview immediately cut into the Clarksville High lead in the following half inning. Hawks catcher Scotty Dean blasted a home run to center field to put Rossview into the scoring column.
The Hawks added an additional run in their following set of at-bats in the fourth inning to tie the game, but Clarksville High soon regained the lead. During the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, the Wildcats scored a total of 5 runs off of four hits, which included a two-run home run by Carson Sanders in the fifth.
Rossview made an attempt at a comeback, but it was too little too late. CHS held on for a 7-3 victory to even the regular season series at one game apiece.
What’s next
Clarksville High School moved to 23-3 on the season after splitting the series against Rossview High. They are scheduled to return to action this Saturday with a double header in their sights. The Wildcats will take on Christian County High and Lyon County High on April 22.
As for the Rossview Hawks, they moved to 18-6 on the season. They have one game left for this week, and their next opponent will be Station Camp High School. The game is scheduled for Friday, April 21.