The Lumpkin County Indians Defeat the Town’s County Indians 11-5 in their First Game of a Doubleheader 

By: Noah Johnson 

The Lumpkin County Indians welcomed the Towns County Indians at home at Arrowhead Field in their first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. The game would feature a potent offense on both sides as a total of 16 runs were scored in the game. Lumpkin would score early and often, forcing Towns to play from behind the majority of the game. The entire offense for Lumpkin contributed to the 11 runs scored in the game, while Grant Hallman and Dolan Harder kept the Towns offense at bay, allowing only 5 runs. Lumpkin would win the first game of their doubleheader against Towns 11-5, while they awaited game two against the Union County Panthers. (article of game two to follow)

Grant Hallman was on the bump to start the game for Lumpkin and made quick work of the Towns lineup in the frame. Towns was able to put the ball in play in their first three at-bats but right into a perfectly placed Indian defense. Zane Floyd came on to start the game for Towns and struck out Harper Davenport to open the frame. Alejandro Narvaez came to the plate and gave Lumpkin the lead with one swing, crushing a home run to the left-center field making the score 1-0, Lumpkin. However, Floyd was able to bounce back and get the next two batters out, bringing the heart of the Towns order to the plate. 

The top of the second began with a great battle between Hallman and Towns catcher Conner Chastain. Chastain was able to work a 3-2 count and finally win the battle with a home run to right field to tie the game at 1 a piece. Hallman then found himself in trouble with the bases loaded later in the inning with no outs and Cale Kirby at the plate. Kirby grounded into a 6-3 double play, but the ground ball allowed Stone Chauncey to score, giving Towns the 2-1 lead. Hallman contained the damage by getting a pop-up, not allowing the runner at third to score. Cooper Scott led off the bottom of the inning with a single to center field, followed by a walk to Hayden Gilbert. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Tyler Boggs attempted a bunt that would pop up to Floyd who quickly threw to first to get the double play. Dakota Bennett came to bat and hit a single to left field, bringing Scott home from second to tie the game at 2. Bennett stole 2nd during Landon Greene’s at-bat, who then took a walk to set up 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, and the top of the lineup coming up for Lumpkin. Davenport kept the line moving with a single to center field, bringing home Bennett to give Lumpkin the 3-2 lead. Lumpkin continued to bring batters to the plate, eventually loading the bases with Wood at the plate. Towns would go to reliever Kade McConnel to try and limit the damage. Wood hit a sharp double to left field, bringing in two runs making the score 5-2. Lumpkin tacked on one more run on a wild pitch before the inning was over, making the score 6-2. 

Towns’ offense opened the 3rd inning with back-to-back singles to center-field by Floyd and Seth Gillis, respectively. Towns would get two runs in the frame with sac flies from Tanner Cunningham and Chastain to make the score 6-4. Scott was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the third, who was then brought in by Gilbert on his double to right field to make the score 7-4. Lumpkin tacked on one more run on an error to make the score 8-4. 

Chauncey came to bat in the top of the 4th and got on base with a double to deep center, then followed up by a dropped ball in left field off the bat of McConnell making the score 8-5. Hallman then took down the next three batters in a row to end the frame. Davenport and Narvaez both got on base to begin the bottom of the fourth on a walk and hit by pitch, respectively. With runners now at second and third, Wood hit a deep ball to left field to allow Davenport to come home, making the score 9-5. Lumpkin continued to keep scoring on sacrifice flies with one hit to center field by Scott making the score 10-5 at the end of 4. 

Dolan Harder came on in relief in the 5th inning, getting two quick outs to start the frame. Chastain worked a two-out single followed by a double by Caleb Berrong to set up second and third with Chauncey at the plate. Harder won the battle with a strikeout, his first of the game. Gillis came on to pitch the bottom of the 5th for Towns and would get the first out on a groundout to short by Boggs. Bennett came up and hit a deep ball to center and hustled to third for a one-out triple. Greene would then hit Lumpkin’s third sac fly of the game to make the score 11-5. The one run would be all Lumpkin could tack on as Gillis closed the inning. 

Harder continued to work in the top of the 6th, striking out two batters in the inning and sending Lumpkin’s thriving offense back to work. Lumpkin would threaten to score again in the bottom of the 6th with the first two batters reaching base. However, the next three Lumpkin batters went down in order, sending the game to the 7th inning where Lumpkin would just need three outs to win the contest. 

Harder looked to finish the game and he did just that, getting the first batter to ground out. Harder did give up an infield single to Gillis, but his catcher, Boggs, would throw out Gillis on an attempted steal. After giving up a walk, Harder would get Chastain to pop up to second to end the game, the final score being 11-5. Lumpkin had to quickly get ready for game two of the doubleheader against the Union County Panthers. (article of game two to follow)