Pioneers clinch regular-season title with wins over Peabody
By Lori Cathey
The Gibson County Pioneer baseball team went 3-0 last week, with two district wins over Peabody to calm the District 14A regular-season championship. Monday night, April 22, the Pioneers defeated Peabody 10-3 and squeezed out a 5-4 win in extra innings the following night. They finished the week Friday with a 4-0 win over McKenzie on Senior Night to total 38 wins, the most wins in a regular season in school history.
Gibson Co. 10, Peabody 3
The Pioneers jumped out to an early led in the top of the first inning courtesy Austin Atkins’ two-run homer to give them a 2-0 lead.
Peabody tied the game at 2-all in the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back home runs and took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third.
The Pioneers added two runs in the fourth inning, with Noah Stafford hitting a two-run shot over center field scoring to retake the lead 4-3. In the fifth, Will Cantrell, Stephen Overstreet and Atkins all scored to make it 7-3 Gibson Co.
With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Overstreet homered over the left field fence to give Gibson Co. an 8-3 lead. Stafford walked in the top of the seventh inning and scored on a double by Colin Warren. Warren scored on a balk to secure the 10-3 district.
GCHS starting pitcher Austin Atkins faced the minimum Peabody batters (12) over the last four innings. Atkins was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs, four hits, two walks and striking out six. Noah Stafford led the Pioneers, going 2-3 with a home run and four RBI. Austin Atkins was 2-3 with a home run and two RBI; Stephen Overstreet, 1-3 with a home run and a RBI; Colin Warren, 1-3 with a double and RBI; Caden Wylie and Sam McKinney each had a single.
Gibson Co. 5, Peabody 4
Fans enjoyed an exciting game that went into extra innings Tuesday night.
Adam Smithson led off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle. Will Cantrell hit a hard ball to shortstop and reached on an error, with Smithson scoring on a throwing error to give Gibson Co. a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the bottom of the second, Sam McKinney singled, with Dalton Flesher coming in to courtesy run for him. Noah Stafford hit into a fielder’s choice but stole second base and scored on a single to right field by Colin Warren to make it 2-0 Gibson Co.
Peabody tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth.
In the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, Stephen Overstreet singled down the third baseline and Austin Atkins followed with a single up the middle. Overstreet scored on a line drive to left field by Camron McMackin to give Gibson Co. a 3-2 lead.
Peabody took a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the frame, Colin Warren doubled to right field. Caden Wylie laid down a great sacrifice bunt to advance Warren to third base. Warren scored on a ground out by Smithson to tie the game at 4-all and send it into extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Stephen Overstreet doubled down the left filed line to start the inning. Atkins was intentionally waked, and McMackin put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the base runners to third and second, respectively. With one out, McKinney was intentionally waked to load the bases. Stafford, on an 0-2 count, hit the game-winning, infield single to score Overstreet for a 5-4 final.
Lamberson was the winning pitcher, surrendering no runs on one hit, striking out four over one and one-third innings. McKinney pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on nine hits, striking out five with no walks.
Senior Colin Warren led Gibson County with a 2-3 performance that included a double and a RBI. Stephen Overstreet was 2-4 with a double; Camron McMackin, 1-2 with a RBI; Sam McKinney, 1-2; Adam Smithson, 1-4 with a RBI; Noah Stafford, 1-4 with a RBI; and Austin Atkins, 1-3.
Gibson Co. 4, McKenzie 0
On Senior Night, the Pioneers won 4-0 in a non-district game.
The Pioneers scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning off a walk to Camron McMackin. Sam McKinney was hit by a pitch, and Colin Warren hit a two-run single to give Gibson Co. a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Adam Smithson singled to left field then stole second base and went to third on a wild pitch. Will Cantrell hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Smithson. Austin Atkins singled to right centerfield and scored on a single to left field by Camron McMackin to make it 4-0.
Lefty Payton Lamberson was the winning pitcherm throwing five innings, giving up two hits, no runs and striking out six. Dalton Flesher earned the save, pitching two innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced. He gave up no hits, no runs and no walks.
Hitting for the Pioneers were Adam Smithson, 2-4; Colin Warren, 1-3 with two RBI; Will Cantrell, 1-3 with RBI; Austin Atkins, 1-3; Noah Stafford, 1-3 and Camron McMackin, 1-2 with a RBI.
