Raley throws no-hitter against G-P Highlanders
Clinton High School’s baseball team had plenty of reasons to celebrate Friday night.
For starters, Sam Raley made his first start on the mound in 2024 for the Dragons.
And it’s a game Raley, who has battled injuries throughout the season, won’t soon forget. Not only did he hurl a six-inning complete game in Clinton’s 10-0 victory at Gatlinburg-Pittman, but he threw a no-hitter.
“That’s something that we’ve been waiting on all year,” CHS Coach Rob Stacy said. “That was his first start of the season, and we finally had him well enough to pitch, and he certainly made the most of it.”
Raley walked four and recorded 10 strikeouts against the Highlanders.
It was also a big night for Stacy, Clinton’s fifth-year head coach, who won his 50th career game as coach of the Dragons.
“I was freezing to death,” Stacy said. “The guys poured water on me because it was my 50th win.”
Offensively, Jackson Webb packed the biggest punch as he was 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Garrett Lee also swung a hot bat as he went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
That was the third stellar pitching performance of the week for the Dragons (8-14, 3-3 in District 4-AAA).
Unfortunately, Clinton couldn’t find its way into the win column. The Dragons lost both ends of a district double header to Gibbs on Monday, April 8, at Jaycee Park.
CHS dropped the first game to the Eagles, falling 2-0 in eight innings.
The Dragons managed just three hits.
Webb doubled, while Harrison Shelton and Garrett Davis each had singles.
Shelton took the hard- luck loss as he gave up a pair of unearned runs and seven hits. He posted six strike outs.
The Dragons lost the nightcap 3-0, despite a solid pitching performance by Isaiah Slaven, who threw six innings.
He gave up three runs (two earned) and six hits. He had nine strikeouts.
“Harrison pitched well and Slaven pitched really well,” Stacy said. “We played well against Gibbs, but we had some bad base running.
“That all goes back to middle school and youth league,” the coach said. “If you don’t practice fundamental base running from the time you start playing, it’s going to show up. We always work on that at our youth camps.”