Tigers swept by Walters State Senators
The 6th ranked Senators of Walters State rolled into Chattanooga to play the Tigers of Chattanooga State and left here with the conference title they so dearly wanted. The first game pitted 10-0 ace Adam Howard for Walters vs. Chris Combs of Chatt State and the Senators jumped all over Combs for 5 runs though it wasn't all his fault. Adam Kuhr came in and had an effective 4 2/3 innings relief allowing only 4 runs and striking out 5 and then Jeremy McBrayer chipped in 2 scoreless innings and Tony Warren had a forgettable 1 inning effort allowing 6 runs and 3 earned. The final score was 15-0 Walters and the only offensive stars for the Tigers were doubles by Michael Carter and Adam Cross. The second game was a little better but not much as Derek Brewer took the mound for CSTCC and started off well. The Tigers scored one in the first on a single by Nate Durham and a 2 out single by Mahal deCastro to plate Durham. Unfortunately, that was all of the scoring for the Tigers. Brewer gave up 5 in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th as the Senators got the offense revved up. They then scored 4 in the 6th to close out the game at 11-1 off of Daniel Hackett. The 3rd game by far was the best and Will Spann continued his effective pitching for the Tigers. He went into the 7th nursing a 2-1 lead and was 2 outs from finishing it, unfortunately, the Senators put together a single, stolen base and single to tie the game and Spann came out for Derek Brewer who threw 2 2/3 effective relief finally giving up 2 in the 9th. The Tigers had chances to win and couldn't come up with the big hit against the Senator's pitching. Mahal deCastro had a solo home run in the 2nd and the Tigers scored again in the 5th and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and couldn't get the run in. They then had the winning run on 2nd in the 7th and the 8th and couldn't get the big hit. The Tigers will play their final games this Thursday at home vs. the Tennessee Wesleyan JV at 1 pm.
Chatt State splits with Gordon
Chattanooga State hosted the Highlanders of Gordon College on Tuesday and split with them losing 11-10 and winning 11-1. Jeremy McBrayer started the first game and gave up 5 runs in 2.3 innings striking out 5 and walking 4. In the first, the Tigers scored 3 to tie the game on a triple by Greg Hobart, and a double by Adam Cross and single by Nate Durham. They again tied the game in the 3rd with 2 more runs behind hits by Mahal deCastro, Cross, and Durham again. The Highlanders scored four off of Daniel Hackett who took the loss and then added 2 more in the 7th off of Tony Warren who came in and threw 3.3 innings of good relief. The Tigers roared back in the 6th with one run after an error and then a double by Chad Youngblood but he was left stranded. In the 7th, CSTCC scored 4 runs and had the winning run at the plate. Big hits were by Cross, Durham, Aaron Simmons with a 3 RBI triple and Michael Carter. Cross and Durham finished the game with 3 hits a piece. The second game Chris Combs spun a complete game 5 hitter as he regained some of his earlier season touch on the mound. The Tigers jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first with hits by Durham and deCastro doing the damage. In the 3rd they scored 3 and then added 2 in each of the final 3 innings. Big hits were garnered by Greg Hobart with 2 and 2 RBI's, Aaron Simmons with 3 this game, Adam Cross with 2 hits and 4 RBI's and Chad Youngblood with 2 hits and 2 RBI's. The next game for the Tigers is vs. conference leading and 8th ranked Walters State at home on friday and saturday.
Tigers "roar" back and win 2 at Vol. State
Chattanooga State went up to Gallatin to take on the perennial powerhouse Vol State Pioneers at their park. The series began with Derek Brewer on the mound for CSTCC and Steve Delabar on the mound for the Pioneers. After scoreless innings for both teams, the Tigers broke through with a run in the 3rd on a balk with a runner on 3rd. The Pioneers answered with 2 of their own in the 3rd and then the Tigers came back with 3 in the fourth on Aaron Simmons' single and a big 2 out hit by Greg Hobart. The Tigers added another in the 6th on Andrew Ragland's home run to right field. Up 5-2 and cruising, Brewer began to tire and the Pioneers came back to score 2 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to tie it up and then scored one in the 10th frame to win the game. After a long bus ride home that night and a short night's sleep, the Tigers came back and started game 2 off with Chris Combs on the hill. The Tigers scored 2 in the 1st on hits by Mahal deCastro, Nate Durham and Adam Cross. The Pioneers answered with 4 knocking out Combs and bringing in Adam Kuhr. Kuhr pitched great going 5.3 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. He struck out 4 and walked 4. The Tigers continued scoring with 2 in the 2nd and 4 in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th. Big hits came from everywhere and Billy Carter, Michael Carter, and Tres Avans all hit home runs during the scoring. The Pioneers started coming back from the 11-4 deficit chipping in 4 runs in the 5th and then Mahal deCastro hit a big home run in the 7th to add 2 more to the Tigers tally. The Pioneers scored 2 in the 7th but Daniel Hackett came on for the save and Kuhr got the win. Game 3 started off really badly for the Tigers as Will Spann allowed 3 runs in the first inning. Now it was the Tigers turn to "chip back" into the game and they did with 1 in the 2nd on Michael Carter's single and then 1 in the 3rd on Hobart's steal of home and then 4 in the 4th. Michael Carter again got a single and Nate Durham reached on a error on the catcher and then Hobart and Billy Carter had big hits to blow the inning open. The Pioneers came back from the 6-3 deficit and tied it in the 6th but the Tigers came back with 3 in the 7th behind big hits by Billy Carter ( who ended the day 5 for 6 ), Mahal deCastro, Adam Cross and Aaron Simmons along with Cortez Percy. Tony Warren came in and finished the game out for the save and the Tigers had their doubleheader sweep. The next games are at home vs. Gordon College on Tuesday at 1 pm.
Tigers sweep 2 from Shorter JV
Chattanooga State's baseball team continued it's winning ways by sweeping the Hawks from Shorter College's JV by the scores of 9-2 and 8-4. This makes 3 in a row for the Tigers and 4 out of the past 5 for them. Freshman Daniel Hackett pitched a complete game in game 1 going 7 innings and striking out 10 while allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. The offense chipped in all of the runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings with big hits coming from Aaron Simmons, Billy Carter, Michael Carter, Adam Cross and Greg Hobart. The second game was a bit closer as Adam Cross got his first start of the season and did really well. He threw 4 very effective innings and allowed 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7 hitters. The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings. Aaron Simmons had a big 2 RBI double in the first and Nate Durham stole home in the second for a run. The Hawks chipped away and tied the game with 4 but then the Tigers scored one on a Michael Carter steal of home and 3 more on Billy Carter's double and Adam Cross' single and then Tres Avans double and Cortez Percy's single to close out the scoring. Jeremy McBrayer came on to throw 2 innings and gain the save and did a great job. He struck out 4 and gave up only 1 hit. The Tigers go to Gallatin to play Volunteer State CC on this Friday ( 5 pm ) and Saturday.
Tigers win 2 out of 3 from SW Tennessee
The Tigers took on the Southwest Tennessee CC Saluqis who were ranked 3rd in the conference on Thursday and handed them a 9-4 loss. Ashley Bonner started for the Tigers and went 3 innings giving up 3 earned runs. He was followed by Derek Brewer who threw 6 sparkling innings of relief allowing only 2 hits and 1 run. He struck out 4 and walked 0. Billy Carter got the Tigers on the board in the first inning with a 2 out triple and then scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers chipped in 2 more in the 3rd when Michael Carter singled and after a HBP and a strikeout, Billy Carter singled in one run and another scored on Adam Cross' fielder's choice. The Tigers scored again in the 5th and 6th innings with big hits by Nate Durham, Billy Carter, and Aaron Simmons. In the 7th, the Tigers erupted for 4 runs with Durham singling and then Carter reaching on an error and Mahal deCastro driving them both in and Simmons picking up a RBI also. Both Simmons and Carter had 3 hits a piece and Carter, deCastro, and Simmons had 2 RBI's. Game 2 started off well with Chris Combs retiring the side in the first and the Tigers scoring 2 runs on a HBP, bunt single and an error and single by Simmons. Then the roof fell in as the Saluqis scored 7 in the 3rd inning and 10 in the 6th inning to finish the game at 18-2. Jeremy McBrayer came in and threw 2.66 innings of solid relief but it was just too little too late as the Saluqis were unstoppable this game. Game 3 put Will Spann on the mound for the Tigers and he was coming off of a good outing at Roane State. He threw 5 innings and allowed only 4 hits and 4 runs. The Tigers scored 1 in the 2nd on a single by Tres Avans, and one by Michael Carter and then a walk and a hit by pitch to score the run. The Saluqis came back and scored 3 in the 4th on 1 hit and a pair of HBP's. In the bottom of the 5th the Tigers scored 9 unanswered runs with 2 outs. This onslaught was led by Billy Carter's straight steal of home. Then there were key hits by Adam Cross, Michael Carter, Daniel Hackett and a 3 run home run by deCastro. Derek Brewer came in to seal up the victory for Spann and the final was 10-4. The Tigers travel to Rome, Georgia on Tuesday to play the Shorter College JV.
Tigers split with Jaguars
Chattanooga State traveled down to hot 'lanta to play the always tough Georgia Perimeter Jaguars in a doubleheader. The first game started off well with CSTCC scoring 1 in the first behind a double by Billy Carter and a single by Mahal deCastro. The Jags answered with 3 unearned runs off of Jeremy McBrayer. Each team traded runs over the next 2 innings with Tres Avans hitting a home run for the Tigers. With the score 4-2 Jaguars in the 4th, the Tigers started scoring. Avans, Aaron Simmons, Michael Carter and Nate Durham strung together singles to plate 2 runs. Daniel Hackett came in for the Tigers and threw 4 scoreless innings relief. The Tigers scored 3 more in the 5th behind doubles by deCastro and Simmons and then 2 more in the 6th with Durham and deCastro again getting big hits and another 2 in the 7th with Durham hitting a big 2 run HR. The final score was 11-4 Chatt State and Hackett got the win with Durham and Simmons having 3 hit days. The second game started off badly for the Tigers as the Jags scored 2 runs in both the 1st and 2nd innings off of starter Adam Kuhr. Kuhr gave way to Tony Warren who did a great job of slowing down the scoring for the next 4 innings. The Tigers plated 2 in the 3rd behind Durham's single and 4 walks. After the Jags had scored 3 more to make it 7-2, the Tigers scored 3 in the 6th behind singles by Durham, Greg Hobart, and deCastro. The Tigers then rallied in the 7th to get the tying run to the plate and Nate Durham hitting. He hit a screamer out to right field that was flagged down to finish the game at 7-5 Perimeter. Adam Kuhr took the loss and the Tigers fell to 19-21 overall with Southwest Tennessee CC coming to visit Chatt State on Thursday and Friday.
Tough losses at Harriman
The Tigers lost 2 out of 3 to the Roane State Raiders in Harriman on Friday and Saturday. The first game started with Ashley Bonner taking the hill for the Tigers. He threw 5 innings and allowed 7 hits and 8 runs but only 2 were earned. He was effective for the most part and just suffered from some poor defense behind him. Daniel Hackett came on for 1 inning and allowed 2 earned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks. The Raiders won 10-0. Greg Hobart and Billy Carter each had 2 hits for the Tigers who had 7 for the game. The second game started with Chris Combs on the hill and he was spotted a 3-0 advantage in the first inning. Nate Durham had a single and then Hobart reached base on an error and Billy Carter blasted a 3 run home run to left field. The Raiders came right back and fought for 3 runs in the bottom of the first inning. The game remained tied until the 5th inning when the Tigers broke through for a run on a single by Adam Cross and a stolen base and sac. fly to score him. Leading 4-3 in the sixth, the Tigers struggled and allowed the Raiders 4 runs on 3 errors. Derek Brewer was the hard luck benefactor of those unearned runs. The Tigers scored 1 run in the 7th and had runners on 1st and 2nd when a double play groundout ended the game. The final score was 7-5 and Adam Cross had 3 hits and Nate Durham chipped in 2 hits while Carter had 3 RBI's and Tres Avans had 2 RBI's. The 3rd game was a slugfest with the Tigers winning 18-10. Will Spann threw well for his 3rd win and Adam Kuhr came in for some effective relief in the 6th. The Tigers scored 2 in the first and exploded for 10 in the 3rd and followed with 3 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th. Big hitters were Nate Durham with 3 hits and Tres Avans with 3 hits and 3 RBI's. Mahal deCastro, Adam Cross, and Andrew Ragland each had 2 hits with Ragland having 3 RBI's also. Home runs were hit by Greg Hobart, Billy Carter, Tres Avans, and Andrew Ragland. The Tigers now travel to DeKalb, Georgia to play Georgia Perimeter on Tuesday.
Tigers sweep Pioneers at Birmingham
Coming off of three tough losses to Motlow State, the Tigers had to travel to Birmingham to take on the Jefferson State Pioneers who are currently leading their conference. A daunting task for sure and one that the Tigers were up for. Jeremy McBrayer started the first game and with a new approach went out and threw well. The Pioneers put runners on base in the first inning but some great defense and pickoffs cleared the trouble. The Pioneers scored 2 in the second but that just kick started the Tigers. In the top of the 3rd Chattanooga State tallied 6 runs. After walks to Tres Avans and Chad Youngblood and a error on Michael Carter's excellent sacrifice bunt, Nate Durham, Greg Hobart, Billy Carter and Mahal deCastro all singled to score runs with Tres Avans singling later to score another. McBrayer settled down and threw wonderfully and the defense did a masterful job in rainy conditions. The Tigers scored 4 more in the 5th inning as Billy Carter had a bunt single followed by a hit by pitch and sac bunt. Then with two outs Nate Durham had another big hit and Greg Hobart walked in another run. Mahal deCastro stole home for the final run. Derek Brewer came in and finished up the game with one inning of relief work. Game 2 put Adam Kuhr on the mound for the Tigers and he followed McBrayer's outing with an even BETTER outing. In a rain shortened game of 5 innings, Kuhr allowed 3 hits and 2 walks while shutting out the Pioneer bats. The game was scoreless into the 5th when Youngblood walked and Michael Carter got on a bunt base hit followed by another excellent bunt hit by Cortez Percy. Greg Hobart hit an infield single to plate one run and then Adam Cross hit a sac fly to center to score another. After Billy Carter was hit by pitch, Mahal deCastro drove in a run with a fielder's choice and then Hobart stole home for the last run. Kuhr did a great job of getting out of trouble in the 5th and the game was called due to weather. This puts the Tigers at 17-18 overall and preparing to go to Harriman, Tennessee to play Roane State on Friday and Saturday.
Tigers lose 3 close games to Motlow
Chattanooga State opened a pivotal 3 game series vs. the Motlow State Hawks on Friday the 26th. Jeremy McBrayer started the game and had a rough outing. In the first he walked 2 and hit 2 to allow the first run and then got a double play ball to score the second run. The Tigers came back in the bottom of the 1st to score 3 runs on a pair of walks and a big hit by Billy Carter. Tres Avans also executed a perfect squeeze bunt to record the 3rd run. The Bucks came back and scored 3 more in the top of the 2nd as McBrayer walked the first 2 hitters and was removed for Ashley Bonner. A 2 base error allowed the biggest runs and from that point on the game settled in to a line of zeroes. Bonner threw 6+ innings allowing 0 earned runs and the Bucks held down the Tiger line up even though they kept getting runners on base. Mahal deCastro finished with 2 hits as did Greg Hobart but the Tigers dropped the game 5-3.
Game 2 and 3 were played on Saturday and Chris Combs came out for the Tigers on the bump. He put up zeroes for the first 6 innings as the Tigers picked up right where they left off on Friday. In the 4th inning, Chattanooga State scored 2 runs as deCastro singled and after 2 outs and a walk to Chad Youngblood, Greg Hobart delivered a big 2 run single. The Tigers loaded up the bases twice but couldn't get the big "knock" to break it open. This came back to haunt them as the Bucks mounted a rally in the 7th and scored 3 runs of which 2 were earned. The Tigers couldn't score in the 7th and the game finished at 3-2 Bucks. Game 3 again was scoreless for 3 innings as Will Spann took the mound for the Tigers. The Bucks broke through in the 4th for a run and then scored 3 more in the 6th to go up 4-0. The Tigers answered in the 6th as they plated 2 runs on a single by Billy Carter and a walk and then a big double by deCastro. They got runners in scoring position that inning but couldn't get more. The Bucks chipped in a run in the 7th and then the Tigers scored on a walk and then a single by Hobart. He was then thrown out trying to stretch it to second, thus, ending the game at 5-3. This leaves the Tigers at 15-18 overall and 4-14 in conference play. They travel to Birmingham, Alabama on Tuesday to play Jefferson State at 1 pm CST.
Tigers take 2 from Pioneers
The Chattanooga State Tigers took a pair from highly respected NJCAA DII powerhouse Jefferson State. The Pioneers came in sporting an 18-4 overall record. Chattanooga State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second with Mahal deCastro and Tres Avans singling and then Chad Youngblood ripping a triple to right centerfield followed by Adam Cross' single to center. The Pioneers struck for one off of starter, Derek Brewer, and then the Tigers answered with one in the third with Greg Hobart driving in the run on a bases loaded hit by pitch. The Tigers followed with 3 in the 5th when Greg Hobart singled with runners on to score one and then Nate Durham ripped a 2 strike double down the 3B line to plate 2 more. The Pioneers mounted a rally in the 7th to plate 3 but Will Spann came on to record the save and finish the game at 8-4. Brewer, Chris Combs provided an excellent 6 innings of pitching with Combs only allowing 1 hit in 3 innings. Game 2 put freshman Jeff Stoker, from Lookout Valley on the mound and the Tigers picked up right where they left off. After escaping a bases loaded jam in the first, the Tigers scored 2 runs behind a walk to Durham followed by a single by Cross and then a big 2 out hit by deCastro. The Pioneers scored 1 in the 3rd and then the Tigers scored 5 in the bottom of the 3rd when Durham singled, Billy Carter singled and then deCastro got a big 2 out hit and Tres Avans followed with a Home Run over the left field wall. Michael Carter then walked and Kenneth Rayburn singled and Greg Hobart singled also to conclude the big inning. Adam Kuhr came on and threw sensationally for 4 and 2/3 innings earning the win while allowing only 3 hits and 1 earned run. The Tigers scored 3 more in the 4th when Billy Carter singled and deCastro walked with 2 outs and Avans, M. Carter, and Rayburn all had consecutive hits to plate 3. The Pioneers again mounted a small rally scoring 1 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th but it wasn't enough. The Tigers held on to win 10-4 upping their record to 15-15 with a big conference series coming up this weekend vs. Motlow State.
Tigers win over Buena Vista at Bell South Park
On Monday the 22nd, the Tigers hosted Buena Vista JV from Iowa in a game held at lovely Bell South Park in Chattanooga. The day was bright and cool but the Tigers were looking to get rid of the bad taste following a sweep at Jackson State. Ashley Bonner started for the Tigers and after a scoreless inning in the first the Tigers got on the board with 2 in the second behind 3 walks and a bunt single by Aaron Simmons and then a single by Michael Carter. The Tigers scored 4 more in the fourth behind a long double by Nate Durham and then hits by Andrew Ragland and Michael Carter and Adam Cross. Up 6-0, the Tigers brought in Bryan New and he threw 2 strong innings. The Tigers scored 2 more in the sixth with Billy Carter getting a sacrifice fly and Daniel Hackett driving one in on a fielder's choice. The tenth and final run came on a bases loaded single by Cortez Percy to finish out the game 10-0. Ashley Bonner threw 4 quality innings giving up only 2 hits and striking out 7 for the outing. the Tigers had 10 hits and 10 runs and now go to 13-15 overall. They play the 23rd at home vs. nationally ranked DII program, Jefferson State from Birmingham, Alabama.
Tough weekend in Jackson
The Tigers rolled into Jackson to take on the Jackson State Generals. The first game pitted the teams two aces, Chris Combs vs. Tony Marbry. Combs allowed 2 runs in the first inning and settled down to throw nicely the rest of the game. Unfortunately, Marbry threw better allowing only 3 hits and no runs for the game. Billy Carter had 2 hits and Adam Cross another but the Tigers couldn't string together a run or two to stay in the game. Game 2 saw the Tigers come out and fall behind 2-0 with Will Spann on the mound. The Tigers then scored 4 in the 4th when Adam Cross was hit by pitch and then after a strikeout, Aaron Simmons was also hit by pitch. Nate Durham singled and then Mahal deCastro also singled in a run and another run scored on Michael Carter's fielders choice. The Generals came right back and scored four in the fourth off of Spann and then 9 more in the next two innings off of Tony Warren. The Tigers chipped in 3 runs with big hits coming from Cross and Aaron Simmons as well as Greg Hobart.
Game 3 was a wind blown affair with the wind blowing straight out of Jackson States field. Jeremy McBrayer got the starting nod and gave up 9 runs in the first inning. Nate Durham came back in the 2nd and hit a solo HR but the Generals scored 3 more in the second and 2 more in the third to go up 14-1. The Tigers came roaring back with 7 of their own following a Grand Slam by deCastro and another HR by Durham. The scoring kept coming in bunches and the Generals scored 4 more runs with the Tigers scoring 2 more following deCastro's second HR of the day. The score stood 18-10 when the rain came in and after an extremely brief delay the game was called by the home team. This left the Tigers with a 12-15 overall record and 4-11 in conference.
Chatt State splits at Gordon
The Tigers visited Barnesville, Georgia to play the Gordon College Highlanders a doubleheader on 3/16. The first game was a slugfest with the Tigers winning 18-9. Bryan New started and threw well for 5 innings allowing only 3 earned runs for the Tigers. He struck out 4 and walked only 1 for his outing, upping his record to 2-1. At the plate the stars for the Tigers were Greg Hobart 2 for 6 with 2 RBI's, Adam Cross 4 for 4 with 3 RBI's and a triple, Billy Carter 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI's, Aaron Simmons 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's and a double, Tres Avans 2 for 5 with 3 RBI's and a home run, Nate Durham 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's and Mahal deCastro 2 for 4 with 3 RBI's and a home run. Runs came in bunches and the offense showed really well against a good Highlander team.
The second game was a complete reversal as the Highlanders jumped out to a 3-1 lead and never looked back as they hung a 11-1 shellacking on the Tigers. Adam Kuhr threw the complete game for the Tigers and was hit up for 11 earned runs. He allowed 13 hits and struck out 4 while walking 3. Adam Cross continued his hot hitting by going 2 for 3 for the game and Greg Hobart chipped in a hit also.
The Tigers go to Jackson State on Friday to play a conference series.
Tigers, again, win 1 out of 3 in conference
Friday, March 12th dawned as a beautiful, sunny day and was the type of day you love to play on. Chattanooga State hosted the Tigers of Hiwassee College and both teams scored 1 run in the first with Chatt State's coming on a solo HR by Billy Carter. Hiwassee then jumped all over starter, Derek Brewer, for 7 earned runs in the second and Chatt State was in a big hole. Chatt State scored a run in the bottom of the 3rd on an error by Hiwassee and then Hiwassee scored one right back in the 4th. Then Chatt State scored 2 in the 5th on a single by Greg Hobart and another by Tres Avans and then with two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Aaron Simmons singled in the runners. In the 7th again Chatt State got 2 with another HR by Billy Carter, this time a 2 run shot. That finished out the scoring at 9-6 as Chatt State left the tying run at the plate in the 8th inning.
Saturday brought even better weather and the two teams came out ready to battle for the series edge. Freshman starter, Chris Combs, came out unusually flat and allowed 5 runs of which 4 were earned in just over 2 innings pitched. Chatt State scored 1 in the first on a 2 out double by Aaron Simmons and then they scored another in the 3rd on a bases loaded walk to Nate Durham. Bryan New came in and settled down the scoring by Hiwassee and then the Chatt State 9 scored 5 in the 4th and jumped into the lead 7-6. A 1 out error in the 6th allowed an unearned run for Hiwassee to tie the game and then Chatt State missed on opportunities to score in the 7th and 8th for the win. Tony Warren provided good relief but in the 9th Hiwassee scored 5 ( 3 unearned ) to win the game 12-7.
Game 3 started with a bang for Chatt State as Will Spann threw extremely well early and held Hiwassee in check. The bats came alive with 3 runs in the 1st inning behind Adam Cross' single and walks to Billy Carter and Simmons to load the bases. A sacrifice fly by Durham plated one and then an errant throw by the third baseman allowed 2 more runs to score. Chatt State scored 5 in the 2nd as they blew the game open. Chad Youngblood, Michael Carter, Daniel Hackett, and Greg Hobart opened with singles and then after an error and sac fly by Simmons, Nate Durham had another single. Spann settled comfortably in not allowing runs until Hiwassee scored 2 in the 5th and then Chatt State scored 1 in the 5th also on an error by the pitcher. The game finished 9-2 with Spann getting the complete game victory to put his record at 2-2 overall.
Chattanooga State travels to Barnesville, Georgia on Tuesday to play Gordon College and then to Jackson, Tennessee to play Jackson State on Friday and Saturday.
Tigers fight for 1 out of 3 at Dyersburg
Chattanooga State made the long drive to Dyersburg on Saturday morning to play the Dyersburg 9 and the day started off promising for the Tigers. After spotting the Eagles a run in the first, the Tigers scored 3 in the second inning behind a single by Aaron Simmons and then a couple of errors and a single to center by Kenneth Rayburn. The Eagles came back on starter Derek Brewer and scored again in the second and 2 more in the 3rd as they swung the bats well. Jeremy McBrayer came on and held them scoreless in the 4th and 5th and the Tigers again put up a 3-spot in the 5th to go ahead 6-4. Tres Avans hit a double followed by a single by Adam Cross and a Hit by pitch to Billy Carter and singles by Aaron Simmons and Nate Durham. The Eagles responded with 4 runs in the 6th off of McBrayer and Bryan New. Chatt State answered with a single run in the 7th when Simmons walked and Durham hit a ringing double off of the left field wall to score him. The Eagles put the game away in the bottom of the 7th off of Adam Kuhr with 3 runs and held on to win 11-7.
Game 2 opened the next day with sunny but windy conditions and Chris Combs took the mound for the Tigers and held the vaunted Eagles lineup very quiet. The tall freshman from Soddy Daisy baffled the Eagles with his assortment of pitches, speeds and delivery angles. Through 5 innings the Eagles had 2 hits and no runs. The Tigers jumped out early with 2 runs in the 1st on a single to right by Adam Cross followed by an error and a single by Aaron Simmons. The Tigers built on that lead with 4 more in the 3rd when Greg Hobart doubled to open the inning and Tres Avans hit a single to center. Cross got on on an error and then the Eagle defense let down and allowed 2 more runs on errors. Combs cruised till the 6th when briefly the Eagles figured out Combs and scored 2 runs. The Tigers returned with 3 runs as Hobart again got things going with a hit and then Avans followed with another and some good baserunning plated another run. Combs finished out his complete game gem allowing 2 earned runs and 1 walk for the outing.
Will Spann started game 3 and didn't take the same quality stuff he has shown his last 2 outings to the mound. The Eagles scored 3 runs in the 1st off of a couple of walks and a big double. The Tigers plated 1 in the 3rd behind a single by Hobart with 2 outs and a hit by pitch and then a single by Cross to score the run. The Eagles scored 2 more in the 3rd and were up 5-1 when the Tigers plated another in the 4th. The key hits that inning were by Michael Carter and Antoine Ragland. The Eagles continued to pile it on against Derek Brewer and Tony Warren and then Jeremy McBrayer and built up a 10-2 lead in the 7th. The Tigers made one last ditch run at the score when Hobart led off with a hit by pitch and then Avans scorched a ball down third that the Eagles third baseman made a big league play on to record the out. Cross and Billy Carter hit a single and double respectively and then Simmons recorded the 2nd out and then Nate Durham hit a single and Ragland drew a 3-2 walk bringing up Daniel Hackett with the chance to get the tying run to the plate. Hackett flew out to third to finish the Tiger rally and leave them short at 10-6.
For the weekend Tres Avans was 4 for 12 and Michael Carter wa 5 for 12 while Nate Durham was 4 for 12 with 4 RBI's.
The Tigers host Hiwassee on Friday and Saturday at home. First game is at 2 pm.
Tigers drop 2 out of 3 vs. Columbia State
The second conference series of the year brought in the Chargers of Columbia State to play the Chatt. State Tigers. Derek Brewer took the mound for the first game and hung 0's up for the first 2 innings. The Tigers scored 2 in the first on a double by Tres Avans and after a walk and bunt, Nate Durham drove in both runners with a single to left. In the 3rd, Brewer ran into trouble loading the bases on an error and a walk and single and then the Chargers hit a grand slam to score all four. The Tigers answered back with 1 in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th on key hits by Durham and Adam Cross and Aaron Simmons. The Chargers answered back with 2 runs in the fifth. The Tigers scored in the sixth to make it 6-6 on a bases loaded walk to Avans and then left them loaded following that. No one scored for the next 3 innings as the Tigers repeatedly left runners in scoring position with opportunities to win the game. In the 9th, relief pitcher Jeremy McBrayer, walked the leadoff hitter and then gave up a 2 run home run to put the Chargers ahead and ultimately win the game.
Game 2 opened the next day and the Chargers came out and put up 2 runs quickly off of starter Chris Combs. The Tigers answered with a solo run in the first on a clutch hit by Aaron Simmons to drive in the run. Combs settled down and threw well only allowing a single run in the fourth inning. Bryan New came on in the 6th and finished the game out getting out of a tough jam in the 6th. In the seventh inning, down 3-1, the Tigers bats came alive! Daniel Hackett led off with a 3-2 walk and then Drew Walston got on on a hard hit infield error. Adam Cross hit a single up the middle and plated Hackett. Tres Avans hit a sacrfice fly to score the tying run and then Billy Carter hit a double down the right field line to score Adam Cross all the way from first base with the game winning run.
Game 3 settled into a pitchers dual with Will Spann taking the rubber for the Tigers and throwing really well. He held the Chargers hitless through 4 innings and then the Tigers broke through for a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Simmons to score Billy Carter who had gotten on by walking. The Chargers came back with a run in the 5th inning and another in the 6th off of Spann and both were unearned as the defense began to falter. In the 7th inning the floodgates opened and the Chargers scored 7 runs off of 5 hits and 4 errors by the Tigers. What was once a well played well pitched game became a rout for the Columbia State 9. Thus the Tigers dropped 2 out of 3 and are now 9-7 overall and 2-4 in conference play. They travel to Gadsden State on Tuesday and then on to Dyersburg for Friday and Saturdays conference play.
Tigers sweep two from Shorter JV Hawks
February 24th broke as a cloudy, drizzly day for the Chattanooga State Tigers, but with some potent offense the sun did eventually shine. After Keith Edgemon set down the Hawks in the top of the first, the Tigers plated 8 runs. Following a walk to Drew Walston and a single to Adam Cross and another walk, Tres Avans lined a 3 run double to left field. Chad Youngblood walked and then Kenneth Rayburn hit a base clearing triple followed by a double to right center by Michael Carter and then another run scored on Adam Cross' second single of the inning. The Hawks scored 4 over the next two innings but the Tigers plated 5 in those two innings spearheaded by a double by Daniel Hackett and a double by Billy Carter. Ashley Bonner held down the Hawks for a couple more innings as the Tigers scored 4 more runs in the 4th and 5th innings. Drew Walston and Kenneth Rayburn had big run scoring hits and the Tigers cruised on home with Derek Brewer contributing 2 solid innings of relief work.
Game 2 started off poorly for the Tigers, as Jeremy McBrayer allowed 1 unearned run to score on 1 hit. He then settled down nicely to throw 3 effective innings of 2 hit ball and struck out 5. While he was throwing well, the Tiger bats again feasted on Hawk pitching scoring 4 in the 1st behind a double by Walston and then singles by Cross, Billy Carter and Aaron Simmons. Chad Youngblood also chipped in a run scoring single to close out the inning. The Tigers scored 2 in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd as the runs were coming with ease now. Billy Carter had a 2 RBI double and Tres Avans drove in a run with a single while Drew Walston and Billy Carter drove in runs in the 3rd also. The Hawks chipped in a run in the 4th and then the Tigers closed out the day with 2 in the 5th and 1 in the 6th to complete the run ruled game at 12-2. Bryan New came on and threw 2 innings of relief behind McBrayer only allowing 1 hit and 0 runs while striking out 2 in the effort. Billy Carter, Drew Walston and Michael Carter all had 5 hits for the 2 games and Tres Avans chipped in 6 RBI's. The next game will be 2/27 and 2/28 vs. Columbia State at Chattanooga State.
Tigers open conference winning 1 out of 3 at Cleveland State
Chattanooga State opened up the 2004 conference season vs. the always potent Cougars of Cleveland State. The day was cold and windy but the Cougars heated up early in the first after a bunt single, a hit-by-pitch and then a 3 run home run off of Tiger starter Derek Brewer. Brewer settled down for the next couple of innings and allowed nothing but the Tiger bats couldn't get anything going either. In the 4th, the Cougars scored 4 runs on 4 hits, the biggest being a home run by their second baseman. They chipped in 2 more in the bottom of the 5th and then the Tigers came alive at the plate. Chad Cunningham led off with a double to left center and then Mahal deCastro drag bunted for a base hit and an error on the pitcher plated one run, Aaron Simmons walked and Nate Durham had a big 2 out 2 RBI single to center. This ended the scoring for the game and the bases were left loaded in the top of the 7th, making the score 9-3 Cougars.
The second put freshman, Chris Combs (2-0), against the Cougars and Combs allowed a solo HR in the first and another run in the second. Chattanooga State answered back with a run in the second and third inning on RBI's by Michael Carter and Adam Cross. Cleveland State answered in the fourth with 2 runs and chipped in 4 more later to close out the scoring. The Tigers were effective at mounting rallies but just couldn't get the "big" hit to break it open. The final score was 8-2 Cleveland State. For the day, Billy Carter went 2 for 7 with a double and Cross was 2 for 7 with 1 RBI and Nate Durham was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI's.
Saturday broke with great weather and a great day for the Tigers. Freshman, Will Spann ( 1-0 ) took the mound for the Tigers and after giving up 2 in the first inning settled down and threw effectively. Spotting his fastball and off-speed, Spann kept the Cougars off-balance for 4 2/3 innings. The Tigers jumped to a 3-2 lead in the 2nd inning with Billy Carter reaching 2nd on an outfield error and then Tres Avans following up with a double to right field and Chad Youngblood sacrificing him over and Michael Carter hitting a double to centerfield. Carter then scored on Chad Cunningham's single to right. Cleveland State tied it in the fourth and then it stayed tied until the seventh when the Tigers again scored 3 runs. After a strikeout, Nate Durham singled to left and Michael Carter walked followed by a hit by pitch to load them up. Adam Cross then hit a 2 RBI single to left and after a fielder's choice the Tigers scored on a double steal to plate their 3rd run. The Cougars answered in the 8th with a run and then scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game up. Not to be stopped, the Tigers offense kicked it in and answered with 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning on a single by Billy Carter and an error followed by a double steal to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. After a strikeout, Nate Durham delivered a clutch single up the middle. The Cougars AGAIN answered in the bottom of the 10th with 2 runs off of a walk and single and an error on the bunt. Once again, the Tigers mustered enough energy to score 2 more runs with a walk to Daniel Hackett, a wild pitch and then a single to right by Aaron Simmons. Following an intentional walk to Billy Carter, Tres Avans deposited a 2 strike single to right center to score 2. The Tigers finally hung on in the 11th still leaving the bases loaded before Tony Warren struck out the final hitter getting his first collegiate win. The series concluded with the Tigers going 1-2 overall and Billy Carter was 3 for 5 and Tres Avans was 3 for 6 with 2 RBI's. Nate Durham was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI's and Adam Cross was 2 for 6 with a pair of ribbies. The next game for the CSTCC Tigers will be at home versus the Shorter College JV at 1 pm.
Doubleheader split tough for Tigers
February 17th was a cold and overcast day but the CSTCC Tigers were at home for their opener vs. the Gadsden State CC Cardinals. The Cardinals jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with 4 hits in the first inning off of Tiger starter Adam Kuhr (1-0). Kuhr then settled down to retire them in the second inning and the Cardinals were only able to muster 2 hits the rest of the game. In the 3rd inning the Tigers got on the board with a 3-spot of their own behind an infield single by Adam Cross followed by singles by Michael Carter and Tres Avans and then a RBI single by Mahal deCastro. In the 4th the Tiger bats really roared with 6 runs plated during the inning. Billy Carter led off with a single to right and then after a walk and an out, Nate Durham hit a 2 run single then Michael Carter and Tres Avans singled and doubled respectively and the route was on. With the score at 9-3 and Chris Combs setting them down regularly, the Tigers chipped in another run in the 7th behind a sacrifice fly by Aaron Simmons. Will Spann and Ashley Bonner cleaned up the 6th and 7th inning and the Tigers had their 5th win. The second game put Bryan New on the mound for the Tigers and he threw 4 strong innings allowing 1 hit and no runs with 4 strikeouts. New left with the score 1-0 CSTCC and then Tony Warren came in and allowed 4 runs in 2 innings work. The Cardinals scored 1 in the fifth inning and 3 in the sixth inning to go up 4-1. The Tigers answered with 3 of their own in the sixth and had the go ahead runner in scoring position. Simmons walked to lead off and Billy Carter hit a resounding double off of the left center wall plating Simmons. Chad Youngblood bunted for a base hit and then Nate Durham walked as did Greg Hobart plating the second run. Michael Carter hit into a double play to plate the 3rd and final run for the inning. In the 7th, the Tigers got a leadoff hit by Chad Cunningham and then after a bunt to move him Simmons grounded out to second and Youngblood flied out to left. In the 8th inning the Cardinals pushed across a run and then the Tigers got a 2 out hit by Michael Carter and a stolen base by pinch runner Cortez Percy. Percy was left stranded as Tres Avans flew out on a 2-0 pitch to end the game. The Tigers are now 5-3 and preparing for their conference opener at Cleveland State on Friday.
First week goes well for Tigers
The first week went well for the Chattanooga State Tigers as they opened up on the road vs. Truett McConnell JC in Cleveland, Georgia. Derek Brewer threw a complete game 5 hitter and after a shaky start settled down into a nice groove. Truett opened scoring in the second on a back to back doubles and then the Tigers escaped further problems. In the 4th the Tigers got on the board with a home run by Mahal deCastro to left field. In the fifth CSTCC scored 3 runs on a solo HR by Adam Cross and a 2-run HR by deCastro. In the seventh the Tigers chipped in another run on an error and a 2 out single to right by Aaron Simmons. After winning 5-1, the Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second game behind a run scoring single by Chad Cunningham and singles by deCastro and Simmons. Truett came back with runs in the second and third inning off of Jeremy McBrayer and then broke it open in the fourth with four runs. Tiger pitching broke down and gave up 8 walks in just under 4 innings allowing a big run producing situation. Truett held on and won 7-4 to put the Tigers at 1-1.
The next day ( 2/9 ) CSTCC traveled back down to Georgia and played Piedmont College JV in Demorest, GA. Adam Kuhr started for the Tigers and went 4 1/3 before being relieved. He gave up only 2 hits and struck out 6 but allowed 5 walks. The Tigers jumped out with 2 runs in the first inning behind singles by Cunningham and Billy Carter and some good base running. In the third the Tigers scored following singles by Cross and Tres Avans and Cunningham and then a fielder's choice by deCastro. Another run followed in the fourth on a single by Kenneth Rayburn. In the fifth the Tigers scored 3 behind singles by Avans and deCastro and Billy Carter. Following a rally by the Piedmont squad which netted 5 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks, the Tigers responded in the 7th with 8 runs. Tres Avans hit a 2 run shot and Chad Cunningham had 2 hits in the inning and deCastro chipped in a big single also. The Tigers won 15-6 in the first game. The second game was a low scoring game which the Tigers won 3-0 behind the 4 hit pitching of Chris Combs. Combs threw a CG with 5 strike outs and only 1 walk. The Tigers scored 1 in the third inning behind a single by Adam Cross and after a stolen base a triple by Tres Avans. In the fourth inning the Tigers scored 2 runs behind a single by Chad Youngblood and then a 2 run shot by Nate Durham. Fine defense and pitching followed, and the Tigers won 3-0. For the day Tres Avans was 4 for 7 and Chad Cunningham was 4 for 7 and Billy Carter was 4 for 7 also.
On Wednesday the 11th of February, the Tigers went to Athens, TN to play Tennessee Wesleyan's JV 2 games. The first game the Tigers lost 4-3 in a tight, well-played game. Jeremy McBrayer and Jeff Stoker split the six innings each throwing 3. McBrayer allowed 2 hits and Stoker allowed 1 but McBrayer walked 3 and that came back to haunt him in the 3 runs he allowed. The Tigers scored 1 in the 4th inning behind an error and a single by Billy Carter and then a sacrifice and a wild pitch. Then in the fifth inning the Tigers scored 2 runs behind a single by Adam Cross and a single by Chad Cunningham and then a big 2 out double by Aaron Simmons down the right field line. Tied 3-3 in the fifth the Wesleyan team scored 1 run with 2 outs and then held on in the top of the 7th when the Tigers mounted a rally and left the tying run on 3b to end the game. The second game put Will Spann on the mound for the Tigers and he responded beautifully. The freshman from Ooltewah threw a complete game and allowed only 3 hits while allowing 4 earned runs. The Tigers came out swinging the bats with deCastro getting a RBI double in the first inning and then the real damage started in the 3rd. Following Chad Cunningham's single, deCastro launched a 2 run shot, then Simmons singled and Billy Carter hit another 2 run shot then Kenneth Rayburn hit a 2 RBI double to right center and the rout was on. The Tigers added 2 more in the 4th on Billy Carter's 2nd 2 run HR. Wesleyan answered with 3 runs on 3 walks and 2 wild pitches but then the Tigers got another in the seventh inning on a single and sacrifice and then another single by Adam Cross. This finished out the scoring and the final was 9-4 putting the Tiger's record at 4-2 going into Saturday's game at Gadsden State.