Neal Wachob • Clay County Progress Hayesville ace Jackson Sellers, No. 21, delivers heat against Pisgah.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
The defending Smoky Mountain Conference baseball champs are off to a slow start as Hayesville Coach Joe Jack Sellers tries to build a contender after losing six position players and all but one starting pitcher to graduation.
The inexperienced Jackets are 0-4, but the SMC’s leading batter and top hurler from 2025 are looking good.
Ben Bethel cracked a hit in all four games, which isn’t surprising since he led the conference with a .550 batting average last season.
Jackson Sellers, the ace of SMC pitchers with a 6-1 win/loss record and microscopic .61 earned run average a year ago, has pitched five 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
Hayesville began SMC play this week with games against Robbinsville — Tuesday at Robbinsville and Friday at Scott D. Penland Field.
Here’s a summary of the season to date:
Smoky Mountain 8, Hayesville 5
Peyton McGaha had three RBI and tossed two 2/3 solid innings, J. Sellers stole twice and scored twice, and starter Brady Reynolds allowed just one run and one hit in four innings, but the Jackets hurt themselves with four errors, six walks and a hit batsman Monday.
“We pitched well and after the first inning, we had some moments but we just didn’t hit the ball well at all today,” Sellers said.
Two Hayesville errors helped the Mustangs go up 3-0 in the first inning without a single hit.
The Yellow Jackets fought back with two runs in the bottom of the first. The comeback began when Bethel walked and J. Sellers followed with a single to right field. Bethel scored on McGaha’s ground out and Sellers crossed on Rob Barter’s grounder to short.
Hayesville seized a 4-3 lead with one out in the fourth when McGaha doubled in Micah Moss and Bethel.
Smoky Mountain clinched the contest with three hits and four runs in the fifth.
Hayesville’s last hurrah came when J. Sellers and McGaha drew walks, but Smoky Mountain’s Josiah Ashe retired the next three batters. McGaha scored on the second out, a deep sacrifice fly to center by Reynolds.
Hayesville leaders:
Hits: Bethel, Cody, McGaha, Reynolds and J. Sellers.
RBIs: McGaha, three; Barter and Reynolds.
Runs: Bethel, two; J. Sellers, two and Moss.
Doubles: McGaha.
Steals: Sellers, two; Cheeks, Cody and Reynolds.
Franklin 7, Hayesville 6
The Jackets also rallied in their season-opener at Franklin.
The Class 2A Jackets fell behind 4-1 before throwing a scare into the Class 5A Panthers with a three-run fifth inning, a game-tying run in the sixth and a go-ahead run in the final frame last Tuesday.
Hayesville trailed 5-1 when Reynolds led off the top of the fifth with a walk, took second on a passed ball, and went to third on Landon Cheek’s grounder. Walks to Cody Jacobs and McGaha loaded the sacks. All three came home when Rob Barter singled in two runs and Bethel followed with an RBI single.
The Jackets knotted the score 5-all with a run on a walk and passed ball.
Hayesville seized the lead in dramatic fashion with two outs in the seventh when Bethel was hit by a pitch, stole second and scooted home when Sellers doubled to left center field.
Unfortunately, Franklin scored twice in the bottom of the innings to secure the win.
J. Sellers and Rob Barter slapped two hits apiece. Barter also knocked in two runs, while J. Sellers doubled and drove in a run.
Reynolds walked twice, stole a base and scored twice.
Sellers started, worked two 1/3 innings, struck out for, scattered three hits and didn’t allow any earned runs.
Hayesville leaders:
Hits: Barter, two; J. Sellers, two and Bethel.
RBIs: Barter, two; Bethel and J. Sellers.
Runs: Reynolds, two; Bethel, Cody, McGaha and R. Sellers.
Doubles: J. Sellers.
Steals: Bethel, Cody and Reynolds.
Union County 10, Hayesville 0
The Panthers had the distinct advantage of beginning their season a month head of Hayesville.
Union County rapped 12 hits and scored in four of five frames in Blairsville on Thursday.
The Jackets had three hits — one apiece by Barter, Bethel and Reynolds.
Pisgah 12, Hayesville 1
Friday’s contest was a one-run game for the first four innings, until Pisgah parlayed three hits, four walks and a hit batter into seven runs during a decisive fifth inning.
Hayesville managed just one hit, an RBI-single by Bethel that scored McGaha in the fourth.
J. Sellers started on the hill and kept Pisgah in check for the first three innings, surrendering two hits, striking out four and allowing one unearned run.
J. Sellers showed his moxie in the second by pitching out of a bases-loaded jam created by an infield error, hit batsman and double to right. With bases loaded and Pisgah leading 1-0, J. Sellers ended the threat with two called strikeouts and a come backer to the mound.
Pisgah’s last 11 runs came off Hayesville’s relievers.