PF gives Carter a case of the ‘Mondays’

Pigeon Forge stages last minute rally to win opener news@theheraldnewspapers.com The defending Region 2-AA Champion Pigeon Forge Tigers got back in the swing of things with an 8-5 victory over Carter Monday night. The winners of their season-opener made a promising statement with the come from behind win. The University of Virginia bound Tyler Cannon beat out a close call at first to open the Tigers’ season with a hit. He and Bradley Harvesty would each score in the opening set of the game. The Hornets’ Tyler Bell singled and crossed the plate on a fielder’s choice to even the score on a perfect exhibition of how small-ball is played. Carter took their first lead of the 06’season in the bottom of the third benefits of Andrew Taylor, Adrian Meyers, and some clever base-running. With the score 4-2, in favor of the Hornets, Pigeon Forge was in dire need of a spark. Senior Tyler Cannon took first after being hit by a curveball. After a Harversty walk, Robbie Watson crushed a double down the line to score both. Ben Bartley would drive Watson in before the inning concluded, allowing the Tigers to reclaim the lead, 5-4. The Hornets were not to be taken lightly, as proven by Jordan Huettel’s run to once again tie the score in the bottom half of the inning. The game had been well managed by both coaches, with each team responding to the other’s call. Going into the seventh and final inning, the score was knotted at five. The top of the seventh was led off by the hero from earlier in the game, Robbie Watson. He would reach base as the chatter in the visiting dugout began to augment. French Clark would reach base on an error. Bartley then doubled, scoring Watson and moving Clark to third. Clark and Bartley each scored on sacrificial grounders and flyouts. Pigeon Forge was now the team playing textbook small-ball. Cannon had taken the mound for the Tigers in the fifth inning. He pitched three almost perfect innings of relief to close the game, recording nine strikeouts while walking two. The last minute rally was made possible by Cannon’s domination on the hill, but it was the middle of the order that provided the game-winning runs in the all-important first game of the season. The Tigers used the season opener to get three pitchers their first action of the season, while Carter had stuck with Senior Mark Allen Bounds until the seventh. Getting off to a good start is important to a team’s confidence. This was the first of seven road games to begin the season. The young Tigers lost a few pieces from last season’s championship team, but several meaningful parts of the diamond still have the chance to shine all the way to State again.