CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The District 10-AAA baseball tournament kicked off Friday, as No. 3-seeded Montgomery Central hosted No. 6-seeded Northeast at Rossview High.

After only scoring one run in each regular-season meeting against the Indians, the Eagles offense exploded to earn a 14-10 win in their playoff-opener.

“I think it was our approach,” said Northeast baseball coach Charles Ratliff on the reason behind his lineup’s success. “We finally were able to just stay with the ball, not chase pitches and let it come to us. We just put the ball in play.”

Montgomery Central baseball coach Todd Dunn had no answer as to what led to his team facing a 13-run deficit through the first four and a half innings of play.

“To be honest with you I wish I knew,” Dunn said. “We were ready. We’ve had a couple good practices and for some reason, we came out flat. I don’t know if we were a little nervous or overlooked them since we beat them earlier in the year twice. I told them that they were a good team. They lost a lot of close games this year. … They got a few hits and we made a few mistakes and all of a sudden we were down 13 runs.”

Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)
Northeast High School baseball played Montgomery Central High on May 7, 2021. (Michael Rios)

Game summary

In the top of the second inning, Riley Blanc set the tone with a lead-off double before scoring two batters later on a sacrifice fly to put Northeast out in front 1-0.

Later in the frame, Cody Hasbein made it 2-0 Eagles on an RBI single.

Eagle sophomores Tyler Webb and Chris Collins each had important at bats to help their team take control of the game early on.

Webb, a switch-hitter, split the right-center field gap with a two-out, two-run triple to pad Northeast’s lead to 4-0 through two innings.

Ratliff believes each player possesses a high level of athleticism for an underclassman.

“One, they’re both fast and can run the bases well when they get on,” Ratliff said. “Again, just their approach at the plate was a lot better than it has been in the past. Being in the middle of the lineup, you have to be able to knock guys in and pass it on down to the next guy.”

Northeast starting pitcher Evan Primasing worked his way out of multiple jams, but likely none bigger than in the bottom of the third inning.

The right-hander retired the Indians three and four-hole hitters with runners on second and third base to keep his team on top 4-0.

“I think Rye (Mark) and Blackwell (Graham) has carried that team all year long,” Ratliff said. “They always hit the ball hard. Evan really had to stay down in the zone and make them hit his pitches and I think he did a good job of that all night long.”

The Eagles struck for four more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a bases-loaded walk, a two-run single from Blanc and an RBI single up the middle from Collins.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, MCHS got on the board with a sacrifice fly.

Primasing helped himself with a two-run double in the top of the fifth inning to extend the Eagle lead to 11-1 after Liam Smithson worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home the ninth run of the game for Northeast.

Collins then continued his superb day at the plate, lacing a double to the left-center field gap to tack on two more Northeast runs.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Primasing was removed from the game. The Indians took full advantage, rattling off nine unanswered runs down the stretch to cut the Eagle lead to four runs.

With the bases full and no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Blackwell plated the second Montgomery Central run of the game on a base hit through the left side of the infield.

The Indians pushed across five total runs in the frame, but also left three men on base.

Base-running blunders for Montgomery Central loomed large in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, ending any potential rallies before they got started.

“We tried to come back, but it’s hard to come back when you’re down that many,” Dunn said. “Plus, we made a few base-running mistakes at the end.”

In the bottom of the seventh inning, senior and relief pitcher Kyle Book was able to induce a pop out to first base, sealing the Eagle victory.

Up next

Northeast takes on host Rossview Saturday, May 8, at 7 p.m. on the winner’s bracket side of the tournament.

“Just come out and put the ball in play,” Ratliff said on how his team can carry over some momentum. “Execute, throw strikes and not make mental mistakes that cost you runs. Just play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

Dunn will look to rally his troops in short order before facing West Creek Saturday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Rossview.

“I always try to be a positive coach,” Dunn said. “I very seldom yell anymore. I’m going to mention that we came back and didn’t give up, but I’m also going to mention we didn’t come out ready to play. You can’t take three or four innings off and expect to beat a good team.

“Moving forward, I’m going to rely on the seniors. They’ve been great leaders all year long. It’s their last year, so I’m just going to turn it over to them. They have more influence than I do.”