Three Oaks season ends with loss in TMSAA Class A State Championship Game

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

After a long day that included weather delays, decisions by the TSSAA and a 90-minute trip further into Middle Tennessee, the Three Oaks Baseball season came to an end on Friday night at Battle Creek High School in Spring Hill with a 12-2 loss to Lincoln County Middle School in the TMSAA Baseball Class A State Championship Game.

Thursday night, the game, which was originally scheduled for noon on Friday at Austin Peay State University, was moved up to 10 a.m. Friday in order to get the game in before forecasted storms were expected to reach Clarksville. However, a lightning delay around 9:15 a.m. and heavy rainfall within the following hour, led to the game being delayed further to 2:30 p.m.

When this timeline passed, the outfield still had standing water in places and more rain was forecasted at one point to hit the area before both the Class A and Class AA Championship Games were expected to be completed, the TSSAA made the decision the games would not be played and Three Oaks and Lincoln County would be declared co-champions for the 2025 season.

As neither team was in favor of this, the TSSAA offered to still recognize a single champion should the two teams be able to work together to arrange the championship game – on their own.

Following an hour-long discussion which included coaches from both teams as well as administrators on site and on the telephone, multiple schools within a reasonable driving distance were contacted about hosting the game. At around 3:15 p.m., Battle Creek High School in Spring Hill agreed to host the game.

This led to a 90-minute trip down to Spring Hill for both teams and fans as well as media representatives from each side for the game with a new first-pitch time set for 6:30 p.m.

When play finally got underway, Lincoln County struck first, scoring once in the top of the first with a Southern RBI single to go up 1-0.

The Falcons added to the lead in the top of the second with another run, this one on an RBI since from Groce to take a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half.

The two-run lead for Lincoln County lasted until the bottom of the fourth. Cullen Messer led off with a single then Braxton Anderson joined him on the basepaths with a single. The next two batters fell to a pop out and a strikeout but Messer and Anderson moved to second and third, respectively, in the meantime. Corbin Kolwyck then singled them both in to tie the score at 2-2 after four innings.

But, with one out in the top of the fifth, Lincoln County erupted as Three Oaks committed a trio of errors to go along with a trio of walks which helped lead to a nine-run inning by the Falcons to put the visiting team on the scoreboard up 11-2.

Both teams got out of the next two half-innings with the defenses recording 1-2-3 innings. The Choctaws were able to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth but back-to-back popups ended the frame.

Lincoln County added another run in the top of the seventh to take a 10-run lead into the bottom of the seventh. The Falcons were able to work around a pair of one-out walks to get the final two batters to secure the TMSAA Class A Championship.

Anderson led the way for the Choctaws at the plate with two singles as Three Oaks was held to just five hits in the loss.

The loss ends Three Oaks’ season with a record of 24-1 and as the TMSAA Class A State Runner-up – the highest finish in the program’s history.

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