BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – The Cascade Champions (1-0) opened the season on the diamond at home against Eagleville (1-1) on Friday night, run-ruling the three-time defending Class A State Champions, 12-2 in five innings, behind a pair of home runs from Wickey Parker.

Champs’ lefty ace Jayden Hathcock got the start on the mound, going 5.0 innings and giving up just one earned run on six hits while striking out nine batters on 86 pitches and walking just two.

Meanwhile, Eagleville used three different pitchers after their starter, Jacob Sweeney, was chased from the game after 1.2 innings and 56 pitches. Sweeney gave up three hits, walked three batters while giving up four runs, three earned, and striking out two. Drake Rzemieniewski came on in relief, going 1.0 innings on 51 pitches and giving up four hits, eight earned runs, four walks, and tallying a pair of strikeouts. Spencer Robbins came in to get the four outs on 21 pitches, giving up two hits, one walk, and tallying one strikeout. 

Jayden Hathcock (14) went 5.0 innings, striking out nine and walking two while allowing six hits and two runs on 86 pitches.

T-G Staff Photo

Parker’s first homer came with two outs in the bottom of the first, a three-run blast over the right field wall that opened the scoring for both sides. 

Eagleville got one run back in the top of the second when a sac fly from Maddox Bouldin allowed Koltt Bassham to trot home safely.

However, Cascade responded with a run in the home half after a wild pitch from X allowed Caleb Crouch to score, pushing the lead back to 4-1.

After Hathcock struck out the side to start the third, Cascade’s offense put it all together against Rzemieniewski. A double by Dixon sandwiched in between a pair of outs brought up Jackson Milliken to the plate, and he singled the second pitch he saw into right field to score Dixon and keep the inning alive. River Maddox, Jordan Childress, Isaac Winton, and Hathcock worked four consecutive walks, driving in two more runs to extend Cascade’s lead to 7-1. 

Childress then came home to score on a wild pitch, then Thomas Demartelaere singled to right field and scored Winton and Hathcock to swell the lead to 10-1. Finally, Wickey Parker put the final nail in the Eagles’ coffin with a towering two-run home run over the right field wall to balloon the Champs’ lead to 11 runs, 12-1. 

Eagleville responded with another run in the top half of the fifth inning, but ultimately Hathcock was able to strand a pair of baserunners and send the Eagles home early after inducing a foul pop up that ended with Parker making a spectacular juggling catch against the fence to secure the run-rule victory.

Cascade remains at home for their next game against Richland on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.