The Union City High School baseball team secured their spot in the TSSAA State Tournament with a pair of wins over Memphis Middle College on Thursday.
Union City took Game 1 by a score of 16-1, and Game 2 by a score of 10-0.
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said the Tornadoes were clearly superior to their Memphis opposition, and qualified for the state tournament for the 11th time in program history.
“The guys showed up ready to go today from the minute they got to school,” Union City head coach Cole McAdams claimed. “They were eager to get on the field all week and were focused on what we needed to do.”
The Twisters used stellar pitching, widespread hitting up and down their line-up, and a plethora of mistakes by Middle College to post the wins.
Troy Joslin, Kyler Southerland, and Sam Jones combined on a three-hitter in Game 1, while Logan Dawkins sparkled again on the hill with a one-hitter in the nightcap. Joslin and Southerland teamed to strike out nine batters, while Dawkins fanned seven in his complete-game effort.
Joslin, Barrett Cox, Skyler Hall, Tucker Davis, and Copeland Chism each had two hits in the opener. Chism drove in three runs, while Joslin and Davis had a pair of RBIs apiece as UC put up a five-spot in the second and then ended the contest early with six runs in the sixth.
Will Ragsdale, Ben Kail, and Hall scored twice each.
A five-run first sent the Purple and Gold on its way in the second game.
Southerland, Dawkins, and Luke Joslin all doubled, with Southerland and Davis coming up with a pair of ribbies. Troy Joslin, Will Ragsdale, and Luke Joslin scored two times apiece.
“We hit the baseball really well today,” McAdams added. “We pitched great as a staff, and we played great defense. Those are the things we’ve focused on all year, and those are the things that win you baseball games when you get to the postseason level.
“I’m proud of their ability to focus and fight through some adversity we’ve had during the postseason. They’ve earned everything they’ve accomplished so far and are excited to get to Murfreesboro and compete for a state championship.”
