Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville's standout shortstop Dakota Matheson gets plunked by a pitch in the third inning of Hayesville's 12-2 victory over Hiwassee Dam. Matheson played a huge role in the Yellow Jackets fifth consecutive win, playing brilliant defense and collecting 11 bases on offense with a walk, single and the hit-by-pitch.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Logan Caldwell should be as rusty as a ’57 Edsel in a Colombia rain forest after spending seven years away from baseball, but he’s not showing even a hint of oxidation.
Caldwell collected 12 bases, scored three runs, cracked two hits, stole a base, drove in a teammate and played flawless left field to lead Hayesville past visiting Hiwassee-Dam, 12-2, on Tuesday.
The victory — Hayesville’s fifth in a row — maintained the Yellow Jackets, 5-1 overall, 5-0 in the conference, lead atop the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Fittingly, it was Caldwell who gave Hayesville a lead it never relinquished. The Yellow Jackets trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Caldwell laced a two-out single that scored Dakota Matheson to tie the game. Caldwell then motored to third when Hiwassee Dam threw the ball away attempting a pickoff. Next, Tate Roberts socked a single to score Caldwell and put Hayesville up 2-1.
Kyle Lunsford swung an even larger bat, smacking a double, a pair of singles and scoring two runs, with an RBI. His RBI two-bagger gave Hayesville a 4-1 advantage after three.
The aforementioned action was more than enough cushion for pitcher Cade Denton, who was downright dominant after surrendering three hits and a run in the first.
Denton set Hiwassee Dam down one, two, three in both the fourth and fifth innings.
While Denton dished up the frustration, his mates rocked the hardball. The Yellow Jackets put the game on ice in the fifth when Lunsford singled, Caldwell and Roberts reached on errors, Chance Hughes singled, Michael Mauney was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Braxton Cherry smashed a two-RBI single and Avery Leatherwood followed with a run-scoring single. Hayesville led 9-1 when the smoke cleared.
Hayesville also played stellar defense. Matheson was the main gold glover — backpedaling into the outfield to collect a pop-up in the fourth and diving to spear a low liner in the fifth. Lunsford made a sweet dig on a throw in the dirt that erased a Hiwassee Dam batter in the second inning.
“Pitching and defense were spot on for the most part. Bats started slow, but got going after the first inning with some key hits. Aggressive base running also helped,” Hayesville Coach Joe Jack Sellers stated.
Lunsford led Hayesville with three hits, two runs and an RBI. Roberts scored two runs, stole two bases and drove in two runs. Matheson scored two runs and swiped two bases.
The Yellow Jackets travel to Hiwassee Dam on Thursday. On Friday, Sellers’ squad heads to Tuscola for a rematch with the only team to beat the black-and-gold.
Hayesville 11, Swain 5
Caldwell was even more impressing four days earlier when he collected 11 bases, cracked four hits in four at bats, drove in four runs, stole three bases, scored once and caught both fly balls hit to him in left field as Hayesville smacked visiting Swain, 11-5, Friday.
The boffo performance elevated Caldwell’s batting average to .545 and Hayesville’s record to 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Fittingly, Caldwell drove in the first run of the game when he socked a line drive single to left in the second inning to score Matheson, who’s had a pretty hot bat himself.
Matheson laced a single to right, beat out an infield grounder, scored two runs, accumulated 10 runs and stole a base as he raised his batting average to a sizzling .400.
Matheson and Lunsford both crossed the plate in the bottom of the second as Hayesville knotted the score, 2-2.
The Yellow Jackets pretty much doused the Maroon Devils the rest of the way with a line-up Sellers tweaked by moving Denton to clean-up. Hayesville responded with 12 hits and aggressive base running.
“We started out a little shaky, but we settled down and we started hitting the ball well. Clutch hits,” Sellers said.
Denton, and Caldwell were the principal havoc wreakers. Denton gave Hayesville the lead for good with a shot into the left field corner that brought in Cherry and sent Leatherwood to third. Caldwell drove Leatherwood and Denton home during Hayesville’s 3-run third.
After adding a run in the fifth, Hayesville put the game on ice with a five-spot. Michael Mauney lit the fuse by walking on a 3-2 count and stealing second. Cherry followed with an RBI-single, coming home on another two-bagger by Denton. Lunsford then smoked a frozen rope to left for a double that to brought in a pair of runs.
Lunsford scored Hayesville’s final run by stealing home on an ambitious double steal that saw Caldwell pilfer second base.
Hayesville played solid defense behind King K Cade Caruso, who allowed five hits and whiffed five.
“Caruso pitched well. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled and kept us in the game,” Sellers stated.
Hughes was touched for a two-run double in relief in the seventh but slammed the door with a strikeout.
“I’m super proud of the kids. They came out in the last couple of innings and adjusted and did well,” Sellers remarked. “The kids are really having fun and they’re getting better. I think we’re jelling. I think we’re going to have a great team.”