Knoxville, TN – The Mighty Oaks baseball team traveled to Johnson University to start off the 2023 baseball season. Coming off a season in which the win-record was broken, the team is looking to have another successful year.
The three-game series, which was held on Sunday and Monday, started off with a marathon game. Seventeen innings were needed to decide a winner in the first game of the season.
Game 1
In the fourth inning, the Mighty Oaks opened the score. Back-to-back doubles by
Sam Pinckert and
Treven Madden allowed Oakland City to score first. A two-RBI single from
Payton Hall moved the score to 3-0. Another big hit by Pinckert, this time an RBI triple moved the score to 3-0. Madden was able to find another gap and allowed Pinckert to score on another double.
It was the bottom of the eight inning, when the Royals of Johnson University were able to string some hits together, which resulted in the game to get all tied up at 4-4. No runs were scored in the ninth inning, so extra innings were inevitable.
Payton Hall was able to score on a wild pitch in the eleventh inning, however the home team was once again able to tie up the score in the bottom half of the inning. The game kept on going, while no runs were being scored till the seventeenth inning. A lead-off walk for pinch-hitter
Jackson Pullen sparked the Oakland City offense. A total of eight runs were scored in the top of inning number seventeen.
Tyler Butler, who had been on the mound since the twelfth inning was able to shut the game down and secure the first win for the Mighty Oaks.
The pitchers for the Mighty Oaks were
Gehrig Tenhumberg (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO),
Hunter Callahan (2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO),
Evan Price (0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB),
Milan van der Breggen (3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) and
Tyler Butler (W, 6 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO).
On the offensive side,
Noah Baugher,
Sam Pinckert,
Treven Madden and
Mason Simon led the team in hits, all with three. The final score of game one was 13-5.
Game 2
The Mighty Oaks had to recover quickly, coming back on Monday for a doubleheader.
Tommy Johnson took the bump for the Mighty Oaks. In his first appearance for the Mighty Oaks, he gave his team a good chance to take home another victory. In six innings he allowed two hits, two runs (one of which was earned), he walked one and struck out seven.
Johnson University took an early one run lead.
Noah Baugher moved the score to 2-1 with a two-run homerun in the fifth inning. One inning later, the Royals tied the score back up at 2-2. After six solid innings by Johnson,
Owen Spears took over the pitching duties for the Mighty Oaks. In three innings of work, he only allowed one baserunner, via a base on balls.
The Oakland City offense picked things up in the last two innings. An RBI double by Garret Causey and a sacrifice fly by
Bailey Hale gave the Mighty Oaks a lead in the eight inning. Back-to-back doubles by Hall and Causey in the ninth, gave the men in baby blue two more insurance runs.
Causey had four hits, including three doubles, playing a big role for the Mighty Oaks in this 6-2 victory.
Game 3
With an opportunity to sweep, the Mighty Oaks started off hot in the third game of the series.
Sam Pinckert drew a walk, stole second base and was able to score on an RBI single by
Payton Hall in the top of the first inning. The Royals didn't give up, as they fought their way back into the game scoring two runs in the second inning. Two innings later, their lead grew to 1-3. Hall was clutch once again, as he was able to bring two runs home with another RBI single in the fifth inning. This moved to score to 4-3, which ended up being the final score in the seven-inning contest.
On the mound for Oakland City,
Ben Simmons (3.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) and
Christian Burgrabe (W, 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO) split the duties.
Payton Hall led the offense with two hits and three RBIs.
With three victories, the Mighty Oaks were able to sweep the first series of the season, their record is now 3-0. Next up for coach Andy Lasher and his squad is a three-game series versus Calumet College of St. Joseph. The first game will be on Friday February 10 at 3:00 PM, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at noon. These games will be played on Gil Hodges Field in Princeton, which will serve as the home venue for the Mighty Oaks during the month of February.
