The DeKalb County High School Tigers Baseball Team added a few more wins last week and split a doubleheader with Upperman. Head Coach Tracy Slone says the wins and losses may be deceiving in the middle of the season, and that it’s the final games that count.
The Tigers started the week with a doubleheader against district opponent Upperman. In the first game, DeKalb came away with a 4-2 win, with winning pitcher Steven Jennings giving up four hits and only one earned run. He struck out eight and walked one.
Aaron Patterson went 1-4 in the game, while Devin Summers was 1-3. Sam McMillen was 1-2 with two RBIs, while Steven Page was 3-3 with a RBI double. John Roller was 1-2 with a RBI single.
In the second game, Upperman came out with a narrow 3-2 victory. Summers was the losing pitcher, giving up only four hits and giving up zero earned runs. He struck out nine, with five walks.
Jennings was 1-4, while Summers was 1-3 with a RBI double, and Page was 1-2 with a RBI single. According to Coach Slone, the Tigers made three costly errors.
On April 10, the Tigers had home field to take on Cumberland County, where DeKalb squeaked out another win, 4-3. Winning pitcher was John Roller, who pitched well giving up six hits, three walks and striking out 11.
Hitters for the tigers were Jennings, who was 2-5 while scoring all four runs, and Patterson who went 1-4. Summers was 0-4 with a RBI, while Boss was 3-4 with a RBI. McMillen was 1-3, and Roller was 2-4.
On April 11, the Tigers were in action again, this time on the road against Friendship Christian. This game would give DeKalb yet another win, beating FC, 9-5, in a come-from-behind victory. DeKalb trailed 5-1 going into the sixth inning, before the Tigers’ bats got hot.
McMillan was the winning pitcher, going all seven innings while giving up seven hits. He had only two earned runs with four strikeouts, and three walks.
On offense, Jennings went 2-4 with a double, while Patterson was 2-5 with 3 RBIs on a bases loaded double. Summers was 1-3 with a RBI, Boss 2-2 with a double and RBI, McMillen 1-3, and Roller 2-4 with a RBI.
On April 12, the team was again on the road, going up against Stewarts Creek. The Tigers again took the win, this time with a more decisive, 9-2 win.
A.J. Mooneyham was the winning pitcher, going all seven innings and giving up two runs.  He only one earned run with two strikeouts and no walks. "He pitched real well for us," Coach Slone told the Review.
Jennings went 2-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Patterson was 1-4 with a RBI double. Summers was 1-3 with a RBI, Boss was 2-4 with a RBI single and double, Moon was 1-2 with a RBI, and John Roller was 1-1 with a solo homerun over the left center wall.
"As a team we are getting better," Coach Slone said. "We have had very good pitching all year so that is our strength. The defense has been good except with runners in scoring positions, and we have made some costly errors that hurt us. I think we are a pretty good defensive team overall."
When asked what the team needs to work on, Coach Slone pointed to hitting. "The area that we have struggled in has been hitting, but we have swung the bats much better the last week or so. I have worked extremely hard with my hitters so I am hoping that we continue to improve in that area. We are 5-3 in the district but could be 8-0 if we made a couple of plays and swung the bat just a little bit."
"The district has a lot of good pitchers, and some good teams, so you can be beat anytime you play a district game. Upperman and Smith County have two of the top pitchers we have faced this year. Cannon County has one good pitcher."
Coach Slone said that the wins and losses may be confusing in that the team has chosen a tougher schedule this year. The tougher opponents are aimed at making the team better during district play. "We have played a tough schedule, but I think it is making us better. The only thing that matters is what you do at the end. You win championships at the end of the season not at the beginning or middle. I think if we keep getting better we could be a dangerous team come tournament time."