Upperman (5-2) snapped the Marshall County Tigers' modest two-game winning streak on Friday night when they defeated MCHS 6-0 in the Rocket/Tiger Holiday Classic at Joe George Field.

The Tigers (5-4) had averaged 11 runs per game in their five previous outings, but mustered just five hits and three walks against Upperman starting pitcher Winston Cannon and reliever Zach Wallace. Ryan McDaniel, Ryan Richardson, Aaron Hobbs, Dylan McKnight, and Bubba Houghton each had one hit for Marshall County.

'A little flat'

"We were just a little flat tonight. We were hitting the ball up in the air a lot and anyone can catch fly balls," said MCHS coach Steve Reese. "We didn't hit many balls on the ground and force them to make plays."

Cannon notched four strikeouts in six scoreless innings of work en route to picking up the win for Upperman. Wallace then came in relief of Cannon and held the Tigers hitless in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Bees, meanwhile, pounded out 13 hits and drew two walks against Marshall County freshmen hurlers Stuart Warner and Ethan Poteete.

Joe Jones and Cannon both tallied three hits and a RBI to lead Upperman at the plate, while Mason Simmons (2 RBI) and Ryan Lafever each had two hits.

Warner suffered the loss on the mound for the Tigers after allowing two runs over three and a third innings on five hits and a walk. Poteete then took the hill and yielded four runs on eight hits and a walk in three and two-third innings of work.

Young talent

"I was really pleased with our two freshmen pitchers. They threw the ball well and worked out of trouble. Hopefully they'll both continue to develop because we're going to need them down the road," said Reese.

Upperman took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Lafever raced home on a RBI double by Dalton Dronebarger after legging out an infield single and advancing to second on a passed ball.

Marshall County put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the second thanks to a walk by Houghton and a Richardson double, but Cannon retired the next two MCHS batters on a shallow fly out and a groundout to escape the inning unscathed.

The Bees then extended their lead to 2-0 by plating a run in the top of the third. After drawing a one-out walk and stealing second, Jared Case advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a RBI single by Jones.

Missed chances

Upperman left runners on second and third in each of the next two innings, but pushed across a run in the top of the sixth on the strength of a Tiger error, a bloop single by Cannon, and a Matt Taylor sacrifice fly to open up a 3-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the sixth, Marshall County put runners on second and third with one out with the help of a Hayden Bailey walk and a double by McDaniel, before Bailey was thrown out at home plate on a fielder's choice by Houghton. After Richardson drew a walk to load the bases, Cannon retired the next MCHS hitter on a groundout to keep the Tigers off the board.

The Bees then stretched their lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh on a Simmons two-run single and a RBI single by Cannon before Wallace worked around an error in the bottom half of the frame to complete the shutout.