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The CCHS baseball team opened district play with a home win over Warren County on Monday night, but a Tuesday night loss in McMinnville brought a close to the Red Raiders’ nine-game long winning streak.

March 24 Vs Warren County

Entering Monday’s contest against the Pioneers, the Red Raiders were looking to open district play with their ninth consecutive win of the season and a fifth straight victory at Powers Field.

The visitors from McMinnville struck first on a right field single by Keynai Bryan, which sent Ryder Gilispie in for a score to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 advantage after the top of the first inning.

Coffee County’s response wouldn’t come until the bottom of the second inning, but it would be a big answer in the form of a two-run homer by Davis McKenzie that sailed over the center field fence. It would be McKenzie’s second home run hit of the year, and the first home run for Coffee County since Colter Neel’s walk-off winner against Rockvale back on March 11.

The Red Raiders scored twice more in the bottom of the second; one run by Elijah Vernon on a ground ball single by Grayson Sadler and then Sadler scored himself after a flyball single by Matt Moore, giving Coffee County a 4-1 lead through the first two innings of play.

Coffee County’s three-run advantage would be wiped out in the top of the fourth inning with three runs by the Pioneers, two of which were delivered on a double by Tyler Adams, but no further damage was done, and the Red Raiders escaped the fourth inning with the score knotted at 4-4.

To begin the fifth inning, starting pitcher Cole Pippenger was relieved by Leiton Yancer. Despite allowing four runs on six hits and committing four errors in his second start of the season, Pippenger walked only two batters and struck out seven more in an 87-pitch performance.

The bottom half of the fifth proved to be the game-deciding frame and Landon Abellana proved to be the difference maker. The junior first baseman doubled in the Red Raiders’ first at-bat of the inning, and with two singles by Elijah Vernon and Boone Floyd following, Abellana completed his second trip home to give Coffee County what would be the game-winning run, making the score 5-4.

Vernon also made it home a second time after a walk of Cole Pippenger with the bases loaded, and the Red Raiders held on to a 6-4 lead through the end of six and a half innings for win number nine.

WAR: 100 300 0 – 4 8 1

COF: 040 020 x – 6 12 1

Coffee County: Cole Pippenger 1-for-2, Matt Moore 1-for-4, Blake Hillis 2-for-4, Landon Abellana 2-for-4, Davis McKenzie 1-for-3, Elijah Vernon 2-for-4, Boone Floyd 2-for-3, Grayson Sadler 1-for-2, Trevor Jesse 0-for-2.

HR: Davis McKenzie 1

RBI: Davis McKenzie 2, Cole Pippenger 1, Matt Moore 1, Boone Floyd 1, Grayson Sadler 1

2B: Landon Abellana 1

SB: Blake Hillis 2, Boone Floyd 1, Elijah Vernon 1

WP: Leiton Yancer (3.0IP, 2H, 1BB, 5SO)

March 25 at Warren County

In the second end of their back-to-back series on Tuesday, the Red Raiders travelled to McMinnville looking to sweep the Pioneers and push their winning streak to double digits.

The script appeared to be heading that way in the top of the first inning, as Coffee County scored three times to take an early lead.

Cole Pippenger would score the game’s first run after stealing second, reaching third on a passed ball and rounding home on a single by Blake Hillis. Hillis later scored on a catching error by Warren County and Landon Abellana made the score 3-0 after reaching home on a passed ball.

Warren County chipped away at the lead, scoring on a passed ball in each of the first and second innings to make the score 3-2.

In the top of the third, Blake Hillis completed a second trip around the bases for Coffee County after Davis McKenzie’s third double of the season to make the score 4-2, but the Pioneers responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning with the help of two doubles by Hayven Jones and Evan Snapp to tie the game at 4-4.

Both teams scored one run apiece in the fourth inning, and through the end of the fifth inning the score remained deadlocked at 5-5.

Offensive sparks were reignited in the top of the sixth inning, as Landon Abellana batted in Trevor Jesse and Blake Hillis on a line drive single to retake the lead for Coffee County, 7-5.

However, the Red Raiders’ lead would be short lived. The Pioneers scored three times in the bottom half of the sixth, two runs being credited to pitching errors, and Warren County took their first lead of the ball game, 8-7.

Coffee County managed to load the bases in the top of the seventh, but all three runners were left stranded on the final out, ending the winning streak and handing the Red Raiders’ their first loss in 18 days.

The Red Raider offense had no trouble with the bats, out-hitting the Pioneers 9-6, but Coffee County’s pitching core struggled in the road loss to Warren County with all three pitchers combining for four errors, eight walked batters and only three strikeouts.

COF: 301 102 0 – 7 9 4

WAR: 112 103 x – 8 6 3

Coffee County: Cole Pippenger 2-for-3, Matt Moore 0-for-5, Blake Hillis 3-for-3, Landon Abellana 1-for-2, Davis McKenzie 1-for-3, Boone Floyd 0-for-4, Elijah Vernon 0-for-2, Colter Neel 2-for-2, Grayson Sadler 0-for-4, Trevor Jesse 0-for-1.

RBI: Landon Abellana 2, Blake Hillis 1, Davis McKenzie 1.

2B: Colter Neel 1, Cole Pippenger 1, Davis McKenzie 1.

SB: Trevor Jesse 3, Blake Hillis 2, Cole Pippenger 2, Colter Neel 1.

LP: Isaiah Deadman (3.0IP, 4H, 4R, 3ER, 4BB)

The Coffee County Red Raiders are now 9-4 on the season with 1-1 mark in district play and their next venture will be in the Warrior Classic with two games scheduled against teams from Illinois; the first game taking place against the Mundlein Mustangs at Siegel High School on Thursday, March 27 at 3:30 p.m. and the second game taking place against the St. Charles North Stars at Wilson Central High School on Friday, March 28 at 1 p.m.