Riverside’s Wallace strikes out 13 Wildcats, Sweetwater falls into elimination bracket

Sweetwater baseball has been in this spot before.

The Wildcats started the Class 2A state tournament off with a loss to Decatur County-Riverside, knocking the team into the elimination bracket. A result that emulates Sweetwater’s run in last year’s tournament.

Riverside picked up a 5-3 win in the opening round over Sweetwater on May 21 at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna.

The Wildcats will now have to win four games to reach the state championship and no longer have a buffer through the remainder of the tournament.

“They are fighters. We have been in this position a lot and they know the feeling. They know what they have to do,” an emotional Sweetwater coach Travis Watson said. “It is going to be a grind (Wednesday) and we are going to take it one pitch at a time and one inning at a time. If we can somehow get through the first game and get a breather, then we are right back out there (Wednesday) night.

“We have been here over the last few weeks where our season is on the line. I know these guys will come to play.”

Pitching for Riverside, Stone Wallace fanned 13 Wildcats in the win. Wallace — the 2023 Class 2A Mr. Football finalist and quarterback of a state championship football team — kept the Wildcats off-balance and pitched out of multiple jams on the day.

Sweetwater (32-11) finished with seven runners left on base.

“I think he can really pitch. He locates three pitches and he did not miss a lot over the plate. You have to get in there and grind at-bats and eliminate a few of those strikeouts to put pressure on their defense,” Watson said. “But I have to do a better job of getting our hitters to go and grind it out.”

With two down in the bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats finally broke through Riverside’s defense. A one-out walk put Kai Correll on before Tucker Lorenz and Cade Houser found consecutive singles.

Wallace struck out Brody Watson on four pitches for a bases-loaded, two-out duel with Jayden Richesin.

The junior smoked a grounder to the first baseman, but a wayward throw to second sent the ball into the outfield. Correll scored off the hit, before a pair of errors brought Lorenz and Houser home, cutting Riverside’s lead to 5-3.

“We needed a hit there. We probably got a gift on the ground ball to the first baseman; I believe he thought there was one out,” Watson added. “He made a great play to catch it because it was smoked. All of a sudden, he turned and threw it to second.

“Maybe after that, we get one more hit and one more run, maybe we have three chances to score one more run and we just did not come up with a hit there.”

Blaine Watson led the first inning off with a single, the first of Sweetwater’s six hits. A two-out walk to Houser put two runners on. The Wildcats found a pair of runners in the third through Caleb Powell and Correll and two more in the fourth inning with Richesin and Bryson Burgess, but the Panthers navigated the jams.

Wallace struck out six batters with runners on and the side in the bottom of the fourth.

“We have to hit and we have to score runs. Especially when you get downline pitching, you have to put them away and have big scoring innings,” Watson said. “You have to save as many pitches as you can in terms of pitchers and days. It is a cat and mouse game, but it really, really helps when you score runs.”

Riverside went ahead early. Wallace’s double started the night on the first pitch before he reached home three batters later. Cody Brasher moved the Panthers in front 2-0 with a single.

Two more runs came an inning later. Free runners on one out led to an RBI single for Jase England and to Wallace scoring on a passed ball for a 4-0 lead early.

An insurance run moved Riverside ahead 5-0 off Brasher’s single to score Camden Eason.

Correll tossed two innings, allowing three earned runs and three strikeouts. Lorenz appeared in relief for four frames, striking out three. At 27 pitches and 34 pitches, the two seniors cannot pitch on Wednesday but would become available if Sweetwater reaches Thursday.

Freshman Bryson Burgess appeared for one inning, throwing 11 pitches. Burgess would be available Wednesday, but if he appears then, a rule keeps him on the shelf if Sweetwater reaches Thursday.

The Wildcats return to face Smith County at 10 a.m. CST in elimination. The winner will return at 5 p.m. to face the loser of Huntingdon and Riverside.

On the other side of the bracket, White House Heritage faces Alcoa in elimination at Riverdale High School while Milan and Loretto meet in the winner’s bracket.