Tennessee nips Georgia 3-2 at all-star baseball game

Friday, January 1, 1904

TENNESSEE 3, GEORGIA 2Georgia 000 010 010 -- 2 6 1Tennessee 100 001 10x -- 3 8 1WP: Hadyn Bailey. LP: Jake Simpson. 2B: T.J. Binder (T), Blaine Swift (G). Highlights: Hunter Hudson 2-3, run, SB; Binder 2-3; Cody Rhinehart, Michael Allen each RBI (T); Swift 1-3, RBI; Deocampo RBI (G).

For the fourth time the Stump on Sports Tennessee-Georgia all-star baseball game was decided by a single run Tuesday night. And for the 10th time in the series' 11-year history, the win went to Tennessee, edging Georgia 3-2 at Ooltewah High School.

With the score tied at 2 going into the bottom of the seventh, Tennessee pushed across what would be the eventual winning run. T.J. Binder, who's headed to Troy University on a scholarship, singled but was erased on Dalton Rogers' fielder's choice. Ryan Longwith walked and Michael Allen singled in the run off Jake Simpson.

Soddy-Daisy's Hadyn Bailey, the fifth of seven Tennessee pitchers, got the win despite giving up a run in the top of the seventh. He gave up one hit, struck out one and walked one. Walker Valley's Bobby Towne, who's headed to Cleveland State, got the save despite giving up two hits in the bottom of the ninth.

Tennessee's Patrick Parris, Jake Leffew, Raunel Perez, Matt Allen, Bailey, Jordan Whitmire and Towne gave up six hits and two earned runs while striking out nine and walking three.

A five-man Georgia staff gave up two earned runs and eight hits while striking out five, walking five and hitting two.

The game's MVP was Hunter Hudson from Sequatchie County. Tennessee's starting shortstop went 2-for-3, stole a base and scored a run.

"I was just out there having fun," he said.

He also stole third, he thought, but was called out.

"I had it. I got in but it looked like he had me blocked off the base," said Hudson, who stole 55 bases during the 2011 regular season.

"I had seen him play and I knew he had speed, but he has game-changing speed," said Tennessee coach Brian Hitchcox from Ooltewah. "He's a good defensive player with a good arm and he can swing it, plus he's a big, physical kid. I like his potential."

Ooltewah's Binder, who also went 2-for-3, was named Tennessee's outstanding player while the Georgia award went to Blaine Swift, the shortstop from Coosa who had an RBI double.

Tennessee had offensive opportunities but failed to cash in as frequently as Hitchcox would have liked. His guys left the bases loaded in the second without scoring a run, and while they scored runs in the sixth and seventh, they left the bases loaded in each of those innings.

"We had a lot of chances to break it open," Hitchcox said. "It could have been a completely different game, but their guys came up with some good pitches and they also made a couple of big plays defensively."