Coffee County’s Red Raiders bounced back from a tough two-game district sweep in style Friday night.
Tied 6-6 with visiting Central Magnet in the bottom of the 10th, senior Braden Brown laced a single to right field to score Nolan Jernigan and give the Raiders a 7-6 walk-off win at Powers Field in Manchester.
Brown’s single scored Jernigan, who had walked and then advanced to scoring position at second base on a wild pitch.
Jernigan also had a big day at the plate for the Raiders, blasting his first career high school home run and also reaching third on a triple. Brown, Jernigan, Lane Spry, Wyatt Nugent and Carter McKenzie all picked up RBIs for the Raiders.
Brown entered in relief and earned the win on the mound for the Raiders – working 4 and two-thirds, allowing just one hit and striking out give Central Magnet batters. He didn’t allow a run. Aiden Robertson was also solid in relief for the Raiders – allowing just one run and two hits over four innings. He struck out seven batters and walked three.
After early scoring – this game was mostly a pitchers duel until the 10th. The Raiders took a 4-1 lead in the first and then Central Magnet tied the game in the second and took a 6-5 lead in the third – a lead that held until the bottom of the fifth, when Hayden Hullett stole home to tie the game.
The Raiders are now 4-2 on the season and will travel to Lebanon for a non-district tilt on Tuesday, March 30. They are set to compete in the Warrior Classic next weekend in Murfreesboro.
