Playing the same team five times in one season leaves little to the imagination as to what the other team can do.
Covington used that knowledge and completed a sweep of the Haywood Tomcats Wednesday night with a 6-1 win in a rain-shortened game to advance to a sectional game for the third straight season.
The Chargers host McNairy County at 4 p.m. on Friday with a ticket to next week’s state tournament up for grabs.
Covington (29-7) jumped on top with a pair of runs in the first inning. Ty Warmath walked in the leadoff spot and promptly stole second, the first of his three thefts in the game. He then moved to third on a groundout and scored on an error on a ball hit by Austin Baskin, who stole second and third and scored on a Brock Lomax single. Haywood ended the threat when a sharp liner to third turned into a double play.
After a 53-minute lightning delay, Christian Delashmit reached on an error in the second inning and after stealing second scored on a Noah Walls single, increasing the lead to 3-0. A strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play ended the inning.
After CHS stranded runners at second and third in the third inning and went three up and three down in the fourth, Haywood cut the advantage to 3-1 with a run in the top of the fifth.
Lomax took over for Drake Whiter, who pitched a one-hit fourth. A walk to the leadoff batter was erased when an attempted bunt was caught by Lomax, who doubled up the runner caught off first base.
Covington picked up three runs in the bottom of the fifth, two of them without benefit of a hit. Warmath doubled and Weston Martin walked and stole second. Catching the pitcher not looking, Warmath stole home. The pitcher made the pitch, which went wild and, before the catch and scored on Lomax’s third hit of the game.
The Tomcats stranded two runners in the top of the sixth and the rains came again. After a 10-minute delay, the umpires called the game, giving the win to the Chargers.
Carter Davis picked up the win in three innings of no-hit ball with five strikeouts and a walk. Austin Baskin relieved Lomax and closed the door with a strikeout with two men on.
