seymour edges gibbs for series lead

The Seymour Eagles took a giant step toward another District 3-AA Championship Tuesday night with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over arch-rival Gibbs at Seymour’s Don Doyle Field.

The same two teams were scheduled to wrap up their home-and-away series on Wednesday evening at Gibbs. The games, which were regularly scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, were moved up 24 hours because of the chilly and wet conditions on Monday.

With Tuesday’s win, Seymour extended its current winning streak to 14 games and improved to 17-2 overall and 7-0 in conference play. Gibbs, which had not lost since March 28 before Tuesday night, fell to 14-6 overall and 8-1 in District 3-AA.

At the same point last year during Seymour’s school-record 31 win season, the Eagles were 15-4. The longest winning streak for the Eagles on their way to the state tournament final-four finish of last year was eight games.

Last season Seymour and Gibbs split the regular season home-and-away series with each team winning at home. Seymour rose to the occasion and knocked off Gibbs, 12-9, in an epic 2007 District 3-AA Tournament Championship Game played at SHS.

Both Seymour and Gibbs advanced to the state tournament last year.

The Eagles of Seymour and the Eagles of Gibbs have played some classic games over the last few years as both squads routinely sit atop the conference standings and are widely considered two of the top AA baseball programs in East Tennessee.

Tuesday night’s tilt was no different.

On an unusually chilly April evening, tensioned filled the air at Seymour’s picturesque Don Doyle Field as the visitors capitalized on a shaky start by Seymour sophomore right-hander Brandon Timmerman to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

Seymour responded with the long ball from an unusual suspect in the home half of the second frame when sophomore middle infielder Mark Funderburke connected on a line-drive home run over the centerfield fence to cut the Gibbs’ lead to 3-1. The solo shot was Funderburke’s first varsity home run of his young but promising prep career.

Timmerman, who along with fellow 10^th grader Keegan Newport (Wednesday’s projected starter), are considered by SHS head coach Scott Norman to be two of the Eagles’ top three starting options on the pitcher’s mound (senior Matt Lynam is the ace of the staff). The talented sophomore stayed focused despite activity in the bullpen during the second inning and didn’t allow another Gibbs’ tally.

Some weight came off Timmerman’s shoulders in the bottom of the third when Eagles’ senior outfielder Drew Fox delivered a two-run home run to tie the game at 3-3.

Fox’s two-run shot came moments after he made a running catch in the outfield on a would-be Gibbs’ hit that would have almost certainly been for extra bases.

Seymour’s go-ahead score came in the fourth when freshman Cody Fox reached on a one-out single. He was sacrificed into scoring position by Fields Fouse and was then plated on a Spencer Smith two-out, RBI single that put the home team up 4-3.

Seymour added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Fouse connected on a bases-loaded RBI single down the first baseline to make the Eagles’ lead 5-3.

Timmerman was in control down the stretch, ending Gibbs’ eight-game winning streak and giving Seymour the edge in the race for the regular season district crown by keeping the explosive Gibbs’ offense off-balance and scoreless over the last five innings.

“Brandon Timmerman pitched another gem,” said Norman. “In the second inning when he loaded the bases with just one out with three runs already in, I went out and talked to him. I told him, ‘Welcome to Seymour vs. Gibbs baseball.’ You could say hee responded very well.

Seymour’s crafty right-hander wound up pitching a five-hitter with no walks and five strikeouts.

“He was pitching as good in the seventh inning as he was in the first inning,” Norman added. “He just had to settle down and get under control.”

Norman said Timmerman was a last-minute starter after learning the scheduled starter, Lynam, would be out with a case of mononucleosis.

“It was (Lynam’s) turn to pitch,” said Norman. “When I learned that Matt had mono I just went with the next guy (in the rotation). I always just pitch guys on when it’s their turn in the order.”

Lynam is expected to be out of the lineup for at least another week.