Apr. 22—Monday night offered a mixed bag for the Aiken High baseball team.
The Hornets got off to a disastrous start against rival South Aiken, only to rally back to produce the kind of nailbiter that has been the standard between these two programs for years.
Aiken battled, earning opportunities to potentially tie or take the lead, only to be turned away over the last two innings. The 8-6 loss was a painful one, a defeat that offered plenty of good and bad, showing glimpses into some of the team’s growing pains while also reiterating why there’s so much optimism for the future.
Thursday’s return trip across town to South Aiken is in the immediate future, and second-year head coach Preston Dawson is hopeful to see his Hornets fix the little things that cost them Monday.
“I’m really proud of the way that they came back, and they did fight,” he said. “Our big thing is the mentality side of things, and I think we failed on that early. In this rivalry, and this region in general, it’s really hard to come back against good baseball teams, and that’s exactly what happened tonight.
“We gave it our best effort, but when it’s all said and done, we handle the little things and take care of a few things early, limit free passes and play catch a little better, then I think we hold them to around three or four runs and we get out of here with a win. Obviously, we didn’t do that, and hats off to South Aiken for putting pressure on us. They executed when they had to execute. Hopefully we can make some adjustments on the mentality side of things moving forward to Thursday and make some needed changes.”
Aiken (8-12, 5-8 Region 4-AAAA) is right in the middle of a rollercoaster stretch on the schedule, with Monday’s loss serving as the Hornets’ fourth in a row to abruptly halt a four-game winning streak that included a no-hitter against Brookland-Cayce.
Part of that is due to the Hornets’ youth, and part of it is due to playing in the most difficult region in the state. Dawson has seen his team work to grow up in a hurry, doing so with brand-new starters or returning players taking on different and/or expanded roles in a region that may very well contain eight playoff-caliber programs.
“One senior (Logan Rarey) right now, and he’s doing a phenomenal job of leading this team,” Dawson said. “But it goes back to that mentality. You know, I think we’re a touch immature at times. I think the physicality of this team, even though they are young, is extremely good. It’s extremely exciting.
“But we talk about the mental mistakes, and maybe you can chalk it up to some immaturity and first-timers out there not really having that experience under their belt. It’s a good thing that they’re getting it, but I know we have the ability and they know they have the ability to win right now. I think that’s what’s the frustrating part whenever we don’t capitalize and play our brand of baseball.”
That frustration showed Monday. Aiken committed a couple of errors, walked four batters, hit two and threw three wild pitches, yet the Hornets found themselves with a chance to tie the game during a four-run fifth inning. But they stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth, gave up an insurance run in the top of the seventh to go down by two runs, then put runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh before a strikeout ended the game.
Seven different batters had at least one hit, Cole Harmon homered and walked twice, Hunter Dennis went 2-for-2 with two walks, Tyler Tindall drove in two runs and Gray Kitchings did, too, with a fifth-inning single to get the Hornets within one. Aiden Morris turned in a quality long-relief outing to give his team a chance at the comeback, and once the Hornets started getting on base they were able to apply pressure with four stolen bases.
It was a slow start, but contributions came from all over the field once the Hornets got rolling. That’s been part of their story this season, as Aiken has a lineup full of players who show up to the field ready to accept whichever role is assigned to them on a given night.
“I think we have so much depth, and we have several guys that really and truly, whatever their role is, it doesn’t bother them,” Dawson said. “Whether it’s a courtesy runner role, or whether it’s starting and leading off. We have a lot of that. We have a lot of turnover. We get a lot of different guys in there, or at least try to. I think the willingness for some of these guys to accept that role and know that, when they get an opportunity they’ve got to perform.
“When they’re called on, they typically do. They do a good job. On that side of things, I think that takes a pretty mature person. Hopefully we build some more maturity on the field, that kind of thing. I think that’s been a big thing for me. It speaks a lot about the person or the people that they are, and that makes me proud as a coach of them.”
The loss stung, but an opportunity at redemption awaits Thursday. As if the stakes aren’t already high enough in this rivalry, there’s also playoff positioning to consider. Gilbert and Airport share the region lead at 11-1, but spots three through seven are separated by 3.5 games following Monday’s games. Aiken is in sixth with South Aiken a game behind, and a lot can — and will — change by the time the final out is recorded Thursday.
“That’s the beautiful thing. I know they’re fighting for a lot, and, shoot, we are too now,” Dawson said. “That puts us in a situation where we really need to win if we want to have a good shot at the playoffs, and I know they’re kind of in the same boat, too. Yet again, you know, here we go again, fighting for almost that win-or-go-home mentality. Hopefully we can handle our business and make those changes and play our brand of baseball and make sure we handle the things we’re supposed to handle.”
Monday night offered a mixed bag for the Aiken High baseball team.
The Hornets got off to a disastrous start against rival South Aiken, only to rally back to produce the kind of nailbiter that has been the standard between these two programs for years.
Aiken battled, earning opportunities to potentially tie or take the lead, only to be turned away over the last two innings. The 8-6 loss was a painful one, a defeat that offered plenty of good and bad, showing glimpses into some of the team’s growing pains while also reiterating why there’s so much optimism for the future.
Thursday’s return trip across town to South Aiken is in the immediate future, and second-year head coach Preston Dawson is hopeful to see his Hornets fix the little things that cost them Monday.
“I’m really proud of the way that they came back, and they did fight,” he said. “Our big thing is the mentality side of things, and I think we failed on that early. In this rivalry, and this region in general, it’s really hard to come back against good baseball teams, and that’s exactly what happened tonight.
“We gave it our best effort, but when it’s all said and done, we handle the little things and take care of a few things early, limit free passes and play catch a little better, then I think we hold them to around three or four runs and we get out of here with a win. Obviously, we didn’t do that, and hats off to South Aiken for putting pressure on us. They executed when they had to execute. Hopefully we can make some adjustments on the mentality side of things moving forward to Thursday and make some needed changes.”
Aiken (8-12, 5-8 Region 4-AAAA) is right in the middle of a rollercoaster stretch on the schedule, with Monday’s loss serving as the Hornets’ fourth in a row to abruptly halt a four-game winning streak that included a no-hitter against Brookland-Cayce.
Part of that is due to the Hornets’ youth, and part of it is due to playing in the most difficult region in the state. Dawson has seen his team work to grow up in a hurry, doing so with brand-new starters or returning players taking on different and/or expanded roles in a region that may very well contain eight playoff-caliber programs.
“One senior (Logan Rarey) right now, and he’s doing a phenomenal job of leading this team,” Dawson said. “But it goes back to that mentality. You know, I think we’re a touch immature at times. I think the physicality of this team, even though they are young, is extremely good. It’s extremely exciting.
“But we talk about the mental mistakes, and maybe you can chalk it up to some immaturity and first-timers out there not really having that experience under their belt. It’s a good thing that they’re getting it, but I know we have the ability and they know they have the ability to win right now. I think that’s what’s the frustrating part whenever we don’t capitalize and play our brand of baseball.”
That frustration showed Monday. Aiken committed a couple of errors, walked four batters, hit two and threw three wild pitches, yet the Hornets found themselves with a chance to tie the game during a four-run fifth inning. But they stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth, gave up an insurance run in the top of the seventh to go down by two runs, then put runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh before a strikeout ended the game.
Seven different batters had at least one hit, Cole Harmon homered and walked twice, Hunter Dennis went 2-for-2 with two walks, Tyler Tindall drove in two runs and Gray Kitchings did, too, with a fifth-inning single to get the Hornets within one. Aiden Morris turned in a quality long-relief outing to give his team a chance at the comeback, and once the Hornets started getting on base they were able to apply pressure with four stolen bases.
It was a slow start, but contributions came from all over the field once the Hornets got rolling. That’s been part of their story this season, as Aiken has a lineup full of players who show up to the field ready to accept whichever role is assigned to them on a given night.
“I think we have so much depth, and we have several guys that really and truly, whatever their role is, it doesn’t bother them,” Dawson said. “Whether it’s a courtesy runner role, or whether it’s starting and leading off. We have a lot of that. We have a lot of turnover. We get a lot of different guys in there, or at least try to. I think the willingness for some of these guys to accept that role and know that, when they get an opportunity they’ve got to perform.
“When they’re called on, they typically do. They do a good job. On that side of things, I think that takes a pretty mature person. Hopefully we build some more maturity on the field, that kind of thing. I think that’s been a big thing for me. It speaks a lot about the person or the people that they are, and that makes me proud as a coach of them.”
The loss stung, but an opportunity at redemption awaits Thursday. As if the stakes aren’t already high enough in this rivalry, there’s also playoff positioning to consider. Gilbert and Airport share the region lead at 11-1, but spots three through seven are separated by 3.5 games following Monday’s games. Aiken is in sixth with South Aiken a game behind, and a lot can – and will – change by the time the final out is recorded Thursday.
“That’s the beautiful thing. I know they’re fighting for a lot, and, shoot, we are too now,” Dawson said. “That puts us in a situation where we really need to win if we want to have a good shot at the playoffs, and I know they’re kind of in the same boat, too. Yet again, you know, here we go again, fighting for almost that win-or-go-home mentality. Hopefully we can handle our business and make those changes and play our brand of baseball and make sure we handle the things we’re supposed to handle.”
