PIGEON FORGE — A barrage of timely hits and runs along with a stellar performance on the mound lifted Pigeon Forge past Kingston in their home opener on Tuesday night.
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Sophomore Dylan Loy, in only his second ever varsity start, shut down the Yellow Jackets, striking out 10 and allowing only two hits in the 10-0 run-rule win for the Tigers.
One hit was a bunt single in the first at-bat of the game, while the second came in the fifth inning on another infield single.
“He was good. I have seen him better, but it is only the second game of the season,” Pigeon Forge head coach Mike Guinn said. “I go by where he locates his pitches, and he was solid. He had good stuff tonight, but he has great stuff a lot of times. When his stuff is great, he is really difficult to hit.”
After beating Alcoa, 6-1, in their season opener on the road on Monday night, Pigeon Forge (2-0) ripped several hits in each inning, plating at least one run in all five frames against Kingston.
Junior third baseman Bryce Effler started the scoring early, driving in fellow junior Riley Franklin with a single.
A RBI double in the second by Loy scored senior second baseman Justin McClelland making the score 2-0, but the third is really when the Tigers got hot.
They plated five runs as McClelland, Carson Catlett, Holt Hensley and Loy drove in runs.
Franklin walked-off the contest in the bottom of the fifth, driving in two runs to make the final score 10-0.
“We try to score one run an inning. We try to hit the ball and score each inning,” Guinn said
“Tonight, we had a five spot and some solid hits, but I am just as impressed with the one, one, one and two. We were consistent in our approach and some kids got some clutch hits when we needed it.”
McClelland, Franklin, Hensley and Loy all had multiple hits and RBIs in the win, with the Tigers recording 13 hits as a team.
“We are very pleased with that. We are fighting for positions right now, and we have three or four guys that are trying to get on the field,” Guinn said. “That is what it takes. They will get opportunities and lots of them. We are going to play a lot of guys, and we are trying to grow.”
The Tigers are back in action against West Greene and William Blount on Friday at Heritage High School.