Grissom Baseball Weekly Recap – Week of 2/22-2/27

by Jerimy Lee · Published March 1, 2021 · Updated March 24, 2021

Monday – 2/22 vs. Decatur

Varsity – Grissom 17, Decatur 1

Following the No-Hitter just days prior, Grissom pitchers took yet another No-Hitter into the 4^th inning of their matchup with Decatur. Troy signee Dillon Cook picked up the Win as he struck out 5 in just 2 innings of work. Junior Christian Sutphin and Senior Jack Bianca continued the solid pitching by allowing just 1 hit and 1 run in the final 3 innings of the game.

Although the pitching performance was top notch, the Tigers’ bats finally came alive in Monday’s game as they brought across 14 runs in the 2^nd inning alone, all coming with 2 outs in the inning. Sophomore Chris Lynam had an afternoon to remember as he finished the day with 5 RBIs, 4 of them coming on a 2^nd inning Grand Slam, which is Grissom’s 1^st Home Run of the 2021 season.

JV – Grissom 7, Decatur 2

It was not until the 3^rd inning that the game saw its first run, when a leadoff HBP and an error were followed by a single and a Sac Fly to give Decatur an early 2-0 lead. However, the lead did not last long as the Tigers capitalized on 4 BBs, 1 HBP, and 1 Error in the bottom half of the 4^th to take a 7-2 lead.

Grissom was led on the mound by 8^th Grader Garrett Blacklock who threw 3 innings of 1 hit baseball, striking out 2. Sophomore Garrett Swearingen finished off the afternoon picking up the Win as he struck out 5 in his 2 innings of work.

Tuesday – 2/23 @ New Hope

Varsity – Grissom 9, New Hope 4

After 4 runs in the first couple of innings, the Tigers never looked back as they picked up a big road win at New Hope. Junior Jack Carson led all hitters with 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Junior Christian Sutphin and Sophomore Chris Lynam both drove in 2 RBIs a piece, while Snead State signee Noah Lam added 1 more RBI for the Tigers as the bats remained hot on Tuesday.

Pitching was once again a strong suit for Grissom as uncommitted Senior Evan Steckmesser picked up the Win, working 3 innings of 1 hit baseball, striking out 8 of the 9 outs that he recorded. Steckmesser now has 12 Ks in 5.2 innings of work this season, with a 0.00 ERA. Despite a late rally by New Hope, the Grissom bullpen was able to get out of trouble and pick up the 9-4 victory.

JV – Grissom 14, New Hope 2

The Tigers had a field day at the plate in their road trip to New Hope as they managed to score at least 2 runs in every single inning, finishing the day with 14 runs on 12 hits. Catcher Cameron Hearn led the team with 2 hits and 3 RBIs. Hayden Mai and Garrett Blacklock both added 2 RBIs themselves as 10 different Tigers recorded at least 1 hit.

For the second straight game, Grissom JV pitchers held the opposing team to only 1 hit on the evening. Sophomore Blake Moon picked up the Win as he struck out 7 in 3 innings of hitless work.

Thursday – 2/25 @ Decatur

Varsity – Grissom 5, Decatur 2

Sophomore Chris Lynam remained hot as he drove in a 1^st inning RBI on Thursday to give Grissom an early 1-0 lead. The biggest hit of the afternoon came off of the bat of Sophomore Tyler Sanderson, who brought across 2 more runs in the 3^rd with his 1^st Home Run of the season.

Starting Pitcher, Wallace State signee Will Varmette had another stellar outing for Grissom as he struck out 9 in his 5 innings of work. Junior Rynzo Crutcher found his way out of some late inning drama as he picked up the Save, striking out 6 in his two innings of relief. Crutcher is now 2-2 in Save Opportunities with 16 strikeouts through just 7 innings of work, sporting a 0.00 ERA.

JV – Grissom 10, Decatur 5

Once again, the Grissom JV was able to bring at least 1 run across in every inning of their game as they finished the afternoon with 10 runs on 7 hits. 8^th Grader Charlie Cassingham led all hitters with 2 hits, 3 RBIs, and 3 Runs for the Tigers. Sophomore pitchers Trent Wagoner and Rylan McCreery were able to hold Decatur to just 3 hits in their 5 innings of work.

Saturday – 2/27 vs. Buckhorn

Varsity – Grissom 5, Buckhorn 1

Scoring at least 1 run in the first 4 innings proved to be enough for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon despite 3 errors in the field. Snead State signee Noah Lam, Junior Christian Sutphin, and Junior Jack Carson led the team with 2 hits and 1 RBI a piece. Grissom hitters combined to only strikeout 3 times on the afternoon.

Troy signee Dillon Cook continued his solid performance on the mound as he picked up the Win, working 4 innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 6. Sophomore Ian Lee made his presence known in his Varsity debut for Grissom in relief as he allowed only 1 hit in 2 innings of work, striking out 3. Wallace State signee John Allen Stogner worked the final inning as he struck out the side, making it 12 strikeouts on the day as the Tigers picked up their 6^th consecutive win.

JV – Grissom 7, Buckhorn 6

In a close matchup with the Buckhorn Bucks, it took a 6^th inning Sacrifice Fly by Sophomore Wyatt Nielson to drive in the go-ahead run as the Tigers finished off a 7-6 victory. Sophomore Trent Wagoner led all hitters with 2 RBIs and also scored the go-ahead run in the 6^th.

Charlie Cassingham had another strong start as he allowed only 1 hit through 3 innings. Garrett Blacklock and Hayden Mai helped keep Grissom in the game late as they threw the final 3.2 innings striking out 5. This marks 6 straight victories for the Grissom JV.

Upcoming Games

Monday 3/1 – vs. Hazel Green – V 4:30/ JV 6:30
Wednesday 3/3 – vs. Sparkman – JV 4:30 & 6:30
Thursday 3/4 – vs. Scottsboro – V 4:30/ JV 6:30 ; @ Hazel Green – Freshman 4:30 & 6:30