Riley Franklin (8) and the Pigeon Forge Tigers faced White House Heritage in the first round of the TSSAA Class 2A state tournament at Stewarts Creek High School on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Smyrna, Tennessee. Pigeon Forge won 8-6. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
SMYRNA — If you were wearing a Pigeon Forge baseball uniform Tuesday in a TSSAA Class 2A first-round game, there’s a good chance you got in to pitch.
Or, at a minimum, made it to the bullpen for a warm-up toss or two.
Pigeon Forge head coach Mike Guinn found and used every capable arm to help the Tigers defeat White House Heritage — but to do so without tapping into ace Dylan Loy or draining Tuesday starter Riley Franklin’s arm.
Guinn pulled it off, too.
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Some five Pigeon Forge players graced the mound at Stewart’s Creek High, and the Tigers scratched together enough runs for a 8-6 win. The fifth pitcher, Nick Shaw, entered with two on and two out in the seventh but closed out the contest by inducing a soft liner to first base.
“It’s the state tournament. We’re trying to use some strategy to win these games and be able to continue to have what we need to move through,” said Guinn, who won his 500th career game earlier this month.
“We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
Pigeon Forge (38-3) is here in Murfreesboro this week looking to make amends for last year’s state runner-up finish.
And if it can beat Forrest (26-9) or Riverside (26-13) at 12:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, Pigeon Forge will have to be beaten twice Thursday to not reach Friday’s Class 2A state championship.
Just when Guinn might use Loy, the 2023 left-hander and University of Tennessee commit, is the question. He’s 11-1 this season with a 0.64 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.
Franklin, an ETSU signee and newly minted Class 2A Mr. Baseball winner, entered Tuesday’s start 11-0 with a 0.64 ERA. He threw no more than 24 pitches. The TSSAA GameChanger report had him at 22. So technically, he’s allowed to throw again Wednesday, if Guinn wanted to use him some.
Nevertheless, on Tuesday, he struck out the side in the first inning, giving him 95 strikeouts in 55.1 innings pitched.
“(Winning Mr. Baseball) was awesome. It was a good feeling,” said Franklin about the award ceremony Tuesday morning. “But I knew after that we had to come take care of business.”
Guinn pulled Franklin after he walked the first two batters for White House Heritage in the bottom of the second. But it wasn’t because of the walks. It was more about limiting his pitch count. Pigeon Forge already led 5-0 at that point.
Offensively, Kevin Fernandez kickstarted Pigeon Forge’s day, doing so with an RBI-single in the first. He finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.
Bryce Effler’s three-round double in the top of the second broke open the game. He drove in four runs Tuesday.
White House Heritage drove in five runs in the bottom of the seventh against Effler.
With Loy loosening up his arm in the bullpen, Shaw entered and ended the threat.
“You don’t win it the first day,” said Guinn, “but you can lose it the first day.
“You need to win … and I think it worked out good for us.”