Farragut-Bearden

Page C-2 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Friday, May 14, 1982

Admirals Sail by ‘Dogs

By BILL LUTHER
News-Sentinel Sportwriter


Some might have thought the pressure was on Jeff Glover. The Farragut right-hander didn’t see it that way as he fired the Admirals past Bearden Thursday and into the state Class AAA playoffs.
"The pressure, I think, was on Mark (Snyder)," said Glover following the 8-3 triumph on Tennessee’s Lower Hudson Field. "Mark is the senior. He is the one supposed to throw a no-hitter."
Glover, who logged his 12th win in 13 decisions, wasn’t without some anxious moments.
"I was shaky at the start and they hit the ball hard twice in the first inning," he said. "You don’t go against Knoxville’s best pitcher (Snyder) every day. I relied mostly on my fast ball but I threw some junk up there, too. Bearden’s the best hitting team I’ll see this year."
With Glover scattering 10 hits, striking out eight and walking only one, the 22-4 Admirals struck for five runs in the fourth inning when Bearden self-destructed on four errors.
After Snyder sailed through the first three innings, David Mowery reached first base on an error by Fred Grubbs, who dropped catcher Todd Rechenbach’s throw after Rechenbach had misplayed a third strike.
Craig Schnupp, diminutive third baseman, then belted a Snyder fast ball more than 360 feet to right centerfield, tying the score at 2-2.
Bearden’s defense then fell apart as shortstop Greg Bohannon threw high on Bobby Gaylor’s grounder, third baseman Jimmy Bailey couldn’t handle Greg Schwartz’s sacrifice bunt and Grubbs couldn’t handle Bailey’s throw on another sacrifice attempt by Jeff Sexton to load the bases.
Gaylor scored on a wild pitch, Bill Clements squeezed in Schwartz, and Kenny Woodhull’s single plated Sexton. The Admirals got two more unearned runs in the fifth after Greg Williams relieved Snyder. Mowery doubled home Pat Dorwin for Farragut’s final run in the sixth.
Bearden’s 2-0 lead came in the third on Bailey’s two-out single, Neil Mary’s double just inside third base, an error and Snyder’s single.
"We kept the pressure on them in the big inning," said winning coach John Heatherly. "I have all the respect in the world for that club. Schnupp’s homer was the turning point."
Gary Mahoney, whose team closes at 23-9, called the error to open the Farragut fourth the most crucial play. "From that point on, we kicked it around an awful lot," he said. "But Farragut is playing well. You have to have a good team to win 20 in high school."
Snyder, who faced only 10 batters in the first three innings, took himself off the mound. "Mark was just tired," said Mahoney. "There was nothing wrong with his arm."
Schnupp and Dorwin each had two hits for Farragut. Mary went three-for-four for Bearden and Snyder and Grubbs hit safely twice.