Wildcats rebound, roll into postseason
Oak Ridge High School’s baseball team won two of its three games last week to close the regular season on a high note.
After a District 4-4A loss at home to Farragut, where a comeback bid fell just short, the Wildcats avenged that defeat with an 11-4 victory at John Heatherly Field at The Ballpark in Farragut.
Oak Ridge then capped the regular season with a 6-0 win over Class AAA power Gibbs on Friday afternoon at Morgan Wallen Field in Corryton.
On Monday, April 20, the Wildcats fell 5-4 to four-time defending Class 4A state champion Farragut at Bobby Hopkins Field.
Oak Ridge trailed 5-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning before mounting a late surge. Parker Free and Joe Webb each blasted two-run home runs in the Wildcats’ final at-bat, but the rally came up just short.
After a day off April 21, the Wildcats returned to West Knox County and responded with an 11-4 victory on Wednesday, April 26. Mikee Teasley tossed a complete game, allowing six hits while striking out seven and walking two.
“I knew we were going to play well,” Oak Ridge Coach Travis Free said. “We’ve been in a stretch where we were a little fatigued.
“We’ve played a bunch of games in a row, and now we’re kind of settling in. I challenged them (Tuesday) and told them that we have to play with a little more edge.”
Parker Free answered that challenge, going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Teasley also had two hits and drove in a run.
In the regular-season finale, the Wildcats shut out the Eagles 6-0.
Teasley hit a home run, while Noah Wood had a hit and two RBIs. Carson Feagen went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs.
