Nationally-Ranked Farragut Completes Sectional Sweep of Science Hill
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- One night after Science Hill forced two-time defending state champion Farragut to its first seven-inning postseason task, the Admirals made quick work of the ‘Toppers in game two of the series Thursday afternoon.
Scoring three runs in the first and nine in the second, Farragut neither let up nor showed any compassion in the 18-0 five-inning drubbing, its Division 1-laden geographically diverse starting line-up still driving in runs with the mercy rule decision long rendered.
The victory completes the series sweep, sending the Admirals to the state tournament for the fifth straight time.
“We did the best we could, we just ran into a really good high school baseball team that’s been unstoppable to this point,” said Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards.
Indeed, the Admirals (36-5) haven’t lost to an instate team this season and have outscored the opposition 107-10 in seven postseason games. Farragut’s starting line-up by school went like this – Mississippi State, Mississippi State, UAB, ETSU, Army, Tennessee, Samford, Cincinnati and Mississippi State.
The only unsigned starter is a sophomore, whom by NCAA regulations is not yet eligible to receive official offers. Off the bench, the Admirals feature Tennessee, Tennessee Tech and Alabama State signees as well as a junior Wofford commit.
“They’ve won 11 of the last 20 state championships,” noted Edwards. “I didn’t see the ones in ‘06 and ‘07, but from ‘08 on, I’d put this one up there with any of them.”
UAB signee Jake Merrick roped a two-run homer in the first and 15 Admirals came to the plate in the second.
Farragut battered ‘Topper pitching for 18 hits with Science Hill hurlers compounding the issue by walking five in the first three innings, all of which scored.
“We were trying to eliminate walks, but you also can’t throw it over the middle of the plate because they are such good hitters,” Edwards explained. “And you are trying to work the edges and they just don’t chase. That’s why they are where they are at right now. We just didn’t have the stuff today to work the edges and hit those spots.”
Mississippi State signee Lukas Buckner, reached on all five trips, including an RBI-single in the fifth. Buckner was 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and three runs batted in.
Another future Bulldog, Landis Davila, finished 3-for-5 with a double and three runs driven in. Merrick was also 3-for-5 while ETSU-bound Eli Evans went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and three runs driven in. Merrick singled in the fifth and Evans walked with the bases loaded to bring in the Admirals’ final run.
Tennessee signee Brennen Siegler went 2-for-4 with two runs scored while future Cincinnati Bearcat Gavin Brewer finished 3-for-3 with a walk and four runs batted in.
The only negative on the night for Farragut came in the second. Facing his fifth batter of the night, Mississippi State signee Cade O’Leary was reached for a single by Josh Marmo. On the pitch, O’Leary appeared to injure his arm and was replaced by Tennessee signee Stratton Scott and later by Wofford commit Cole Draper, neither of which allowed another hit the rest of the way.
Science Hill’s season ends at 32-13, its fourth straight 30-win season and sixth consecutive trip to the sectional round.
“I always tell them at the beginning of the year that success is not about who wins the state championship,” noted Edwards. It’s about loving and respecting each other and loving and respecting the game and having character and whatever we set out to do, we are going to finish it. That’s our goals and this team did all four of those things.”
This year’s senior class that includes several future collegians itself - Jackson Berry (ETSU), Josh Marmo (LMU), Major Osbolt (Walters State) and Landon Smelser - won 98 games at the varsity level.
Smelser moved to the varsity level and made a spectacular catch that robbed a home run in the ‘Toppers run to the state title in 2021.
“I don’t know if you can count the first half of that season, because he (Smelser) didn’t play, but if you go back and count all the wins, it’s close to as many wins as any kid who has ever played on varsity level at Science Hill. It would be close to Daniel Norris-level as to the amount of varsity wins over a four-year stretch.”
Farragut begins its quest for a third straight title and 13th overall Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
Farragut – Cade O’Leary, Stratten Scott (2), Cole Draper (4) and Gavin Brewer. Science Hill – Caden Wells, Cole ReSue (2), Noah Hazell (2), Austin Denham (4) and Aiden Vermillion, Fletcher Counts (4). W – Cade O’Leary, L – Caden Wells. 2B – Landis Davila, Farragut; Gavin Brewer, Farragut. 3B – Eli Evans, Farragut. HR – Jake Merrick, Farragut (one on in 2nd). RBI – Farragut 17 (Gavin Brewer 4, Lukas Buckner 3, Landon Davila 3, Jake Merrick 2, Eli Evans 2, Michael Delph 2, Charlie Bozeman). SB – Eli Evans, Farragut. LOB – Science Hill 2, Farragut 8.
Farragut 9, Science Hill 4
The ‘Toppers hung tough against the nationally-ranked Admirals in game one of the season.
Science Hill got a pair of two-run homers from Jackson Berry and Lucas Dye off Army signee Michael Delp and trailed just 5-4 at the halfway point before sixth-ranked Farragut pulled away to the victory.
Davila and Delp both drove in three runs and Delph worked the first six innings scattering six hits and striking out nine.
Davila finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Brennon Siegler finished with two hits in four at-bats.
Science Hill – Noah Hazell, Caden Wells (1), Hagan Gibson (3), Cole ReSue (4), Sam Royston (5), Major Osbolt (6), Anderson Craft (6), Austin Denham (6) and Aiden Vermillion. Farragut – Michael Delph, C Farley and Gavin Brewer. W – Michael Delph, L – Noah Hazell. 2B – Eli Evans, Farragut; A Flag, Farragut. HR – Jackson Berry, Science Hill (one on in 1st); Michael Delph, Farragut (two on in 1st); Lucas Dye, Science Hill (one on in 2nd); Landis Davila, Farragut (one on in 4th). RBI – Science Hill 4 (Jackson Berry 2, Lucas Dye 2); Farragut 8 (Landis Davila 3, Michael Delph 3, C Merick, Charlie Bozeman). SB – Farragut 4 (Lukas Buckner 2, Michael Delph, Brennan Siegler).
Scoring three runs in the first and nine in the second, Farragut neither let up nor showed any compassion in the 18-0 five-inning drubbing, its Division 1-laden geographically diverse starting line-up still driving in runs with the mercy rule decision long rendered.
The victory completes the series sweep, sending the Admirals to the state tournament for the fifth straight time.
“We did the best we could, we just ran into a really good high school baseball team that’s been unstoppable to this point,” said Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards.
Indeed, the Admirals (36-5) haven’t lost to an instate team this season and have outscored the opposition 107-10 in seven postseason games. Farragut’s starting line-up by school went like this – Mississippi State, Mississippi State, UAB, ETSU, Army, Tennessee, Samford, Cincinnati and Mississippi State.
The only unsigned starter is a sophomore, whom by NCAA regulations is not yet eligible to receive official offers. Off the bench, the Admirals feature Tennessee, Tennessee Tech and Alabama State signees as well as a junior Wofford commit.
“They’ve won 11 of the last 20 state championships,” noted Edwards. “I didn’t see the ones in ‘06 and ‘07, but from ‘08 on, I’d put this one up there with any of them.”
UAB signee Jake Merrick roped a two-run homer in the first and 15 Admirals came to the plate in the second.
Farragut battered ‘Topper pitching for 18 hits with Science Hill hurlers compounding the issue by walking five in the first three innings, all of which scored.
“We were trying to eliminate walks, but you also can’t throw it over the middle of the plate because they are such good hitters,” Edwards explained. “And you are trying to work the edges and they just don’t chase. That’s why they are where they are at right now. We just didn’t have the stuff today to work the edges and hit those spots.”
Mississippi State signee Lukas Buckner, reached on all five trips, including an RBI-single in the fifth. Buckner was 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and three runs batted in.
Another future Bulldog, Landis Davila, finished 3-for-5 with a double and three runs driven in. Merrick was also 3-for-5 while ETSU-bound Eli Evans went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and three runs driven in. Merrick singled in the fifth and Evans walked with the bases loaded to bring in the Admirals’ final run.
Tennessee signee Brennen Siegler went 2-for-4 with two runs scored while future Cincinnati Bearcat Gavin Brewer finished 3-for-3 with a walk and four runs batted in.
The only negative on the night for Farragut came in the second. Facing his fifth batter of the night, Mississippi State signee Cade O’Leary was reached for a single by Josh Marmo. On the pitch, O’Leary appeared to injure his arm and was replaced by Tennessee signee Stratton Scott and later by Wofford commit Cole Draper, neither of which allowed another hit the rest of the way.
Science Hill’s season ends at 32-13, its fourth straight 30-win season and sixth consecutive trip to the sectional round.
“I always tell them at the beginning of the year that success is not about who wins the state championship,” noted Edwards. It’s about loving and respecting each other and loving and respecting the game and having character and whatever we set out to do, we are going to finish it. That’s our goals and this team did all four of those things.”
This year’s senior class that includes several future collegians itself - Jackson Berry (ETSU), Josh Marmo (LMU), Major Osbolt (Walters State) and Landon Smelser - won 98 games at the varsity level.
Smelser moved to the varsity level and made a spectacular catch that robbed a home run in the ‘Toppers run to the state title in 2021.
“I don’t know if you can count the first half of that season, because he (Smelser) didn’t play, but if you go back and count all the wins, it’s close to as many wins as any kid who has ever played on varsity level at Science Hill. It would be close to Daniel Norris-level as to the amount of varsity wins over a four-year stretch.”
Farragut begins its quest for a third straight title and 13th overall Tuesday in Murfreesboro.
Farragut | 392 | 22 | -- | 18 | 18 | 2 |
Science Hill | 000 | 00 | -- | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Farragut – Cade O’Leary, Stratten Scott (2), Cole Draper (4) and Gavin Brewer. Science Hill – Caden Wells, Cole ReSue (2), Noah Hazell (2), Austin Denham (4) and Aiden Vermillion, Fletcher Counts (4). W – Cade O’Leary, L – Caden Wells. 2B – Landis Davila, Farragut; Gavin Brewer, Farragut. 3B – Eli Evans, Farragut. HR – Jake Merrick, Farragut (one on in 2nd). RBI – Farragut 17 (Gavin Brewer 4, Lukas Buckner 3, Landon Davila 3, Jake Merrick 2, Eli Evans 2, Michael Delph 2, Charlie Bozeman). SB – Eli Evans, Farragut. LOB – Science Hill 2, Farragut 8.
Farragut 9, Science Hill 4
The ‘Toppers hung tough against the nationally-ranked Admirals in game one of the season.
Science Hill got a pair of two-run homers from Jackson Berry and Lucas Dye off Army signee Michael Delp and trailed just 5-4 at the halfway point before sixth-ranked Farragut pulled away to the victory.
Davila and Delp both drove in three runs and Delph worked the first six innings scattering six hits and striking out nine.
Davila finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Brennon Siegler finished with two hits in four at-bats.
Science Hill | 220 | 000 | 0 | -- | 4 | 6 | 2 |
Farragut | 500 | 202 | x | -- | 9 | 10 | 3 |
Science Hill – Noah Hazell, Caden Wells (1), Hagan Gibson (3), Cole ReSue (4), Sam Royston (5), Major Osbolt (6), Anderson Craft (6), Austin Denham (6) and Aiden Vermillion. Farragut – Michael Delph, C Farley and Gavin Brewer. W – Michael Delph, L – Noah Hazell. 2B – Eli Evans, Farragut; A Flag, Farragut. HR – Jackson Berry, Science Hill (one on in 1st); Michael Delph, Farragut (two on in 1st); Lucas Dye, Science Hill (one on in 2nd); Landis Davila, Farragut (one on in 4th). RBI – Science Hill 4 (Jackson Berry 2, Lucas Dye 2); Farragut 8 (Landis Davila 3, Michael Delph 3, C Merick, Charlie Bozeman). SB – Farragut 4 (Lukas Buckner 2, Michael Delph, Brennan Siegler).
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