Story was originally published in The Sylva Herald
Smoky Mountain’s baseball team lost to West Henderson by a score of 13-0 on Tuesday, March 22, at the SM field.
West scored early and never looked back, winning the game in five innings via the 10-run rule.
The Falcons were able to score three runs in the first inning, six in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth.
West had a hit from every member of the starting lineup and was highlighted by a two-run homer by Jackson Duchesne in the third inning.
The Mustangs could only muster one hit, courtesy of Max Buchanan, against the strong pitching performance by N.C. State commit Truitt Manuel, as well as Duchesne and Hank DeWitt.
SM fell to 1-2 in the Mountain Seven Conference.
“We did not show up to the field ready to play, and they wanted it more than we did,” Coach Jeremy Ellenburg said. “We have got to refocus and play the game with heart and be mentally tougher from beginning to end. That is something this team is very capable of. Now we have to learn from it, flush and move on to the next one.”
Brylen Conlin (1-1) started for the Mustangs and took the loss.
The JV Mustangs fell to West by a score of 3-1 in four innings before the game was called due to lack of lighting
Cason Sheppard was the starting pitcher for SM, pitching 2 2/3 innings and giving up two runs, while Jason Waliezer pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up one.
Combined, the teams only collected five hits.
Sheppard and Logan Webb were the only two players to earn a hit for the Mustangs.
“We were in this game from the first pitch to the last,” Coach Scott Mitchell said, “but ultimately we have got to do a better job about putting the ball in play. Ten strikeouts is flat out unacceptable.”
