Patriots Fall to Sevier County

Staff Photo by Mike Stanley

Jefferson County baseball has a long history of great players who have gone on to have stellar careers after high school, and that could be the case again this year. However, Sevier County’s high school baseball team this season is among the best in the state and is loaded with talent at every position. Gaines Cox reiterated as such, “They are extremely talented, they are extremely confident, and they are extremely well-coached.”

Ranked #2 in the state behind only nationally-ranked Farragut, Sevier County got all they wanted and more with the Patriots on Tuesday night. Head Coach Gaines Cox shouldered the blame for the loss, “We didn’t trust our system.” He added, “I take responsibility for that for not practicing it enough, and if there is hesitancy there, that falls on my shoulders.”

Jefferson County would fall behind early 1-0, but rebounded nicely, taking a 3-1 advantage into the bottom half of the fifth inning. That is when Tennessee Tech commit, Nick Osborne, got his only hit of the game. A 2-run homerun over the left field wall tied the game at 3 after five innings of play.

Jefferson County would respond quickly, with Dalton Morgan scoring in the top of the sixth, and lead again 4-3. Cox was proud of his teams’ toughness: “I am proud of our guys for fighting.” He added, “Brandon Saylor pitched phenomenally. I thought we ran the bases well, and put some pressure on them.”

JCHS was led at the plate by Silver Munguia and Trevor Whitley, both going 2 for 4 at the dish. With the loss, the Patriots have now dropped 3 straight against some of the state’s top teams, and fall to 8-7 on the season. Although Cox was pleased with his team, he couldn’t hide his disappointment with the outcome, closing with, “But this one hurts.”