By David Rogers. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. — Going 4-for-5 with a home run and three singles — and adding a pair of stolen bases — Watauga senior shortstop Maddox Greene’s breakout day for the 2025 season turned out to be not quite enough. In the top of the 10th inning, Alexander Central’s designated hitter Wyatt Smith lofted a long fly ball to centerfield, scoring junior first baseman Maddix Reese for a walk-off sacrifice fly to win, 5-4.
In the top of the 7th inning, Greene’s solo home run tied the game at 4-4 and both teams wriggled out of defensive jams for the next two frames to send the game into extra innings.
Greene got the scoring started in the top of the 3rd inning with a 2-out single, then scored when first baseman JT Cook doubled to center. Then Pioneer right fielder Dillon Zaragoza followed with a double to left, scoring Cook, allowing Watauga to take an early, 2-0 lead. The Cougars rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 3rd to take a one-run advantage, but in the top of the 4th, the Pioneers’ speedy second baseman Evan Burroughs stole third base and scored on a fielding error by the Cougars’ third baseman, freshman Gunnar Johnson, knotting the score at 3-3.
Alexander Central scored again in the bottom half of the 4th to take the lead, 4-3, and that is where things were until Greene’s HR to lead off the 7th inning and tie things up at 4-4. The Cougars threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Johnson tagged up at third base on a fly ball to right by Smith, but Zaragoza rifled the ball home to catcher Brett Vannoy, in time to tag Johnson out at the plate.
Watauga (3-7 overall, 0-2 in Northwestern Conference) returns home on March 25 to face Hibriten (8-2, 2-0, then travels to Morganton to take on Freedom (6-5, 0-2) on March 28.
KEY PERFORMERS
- AC – Graham Hoke: 2-5, 3 RBIs
- AC – Gavin Bentley: 2-2, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2B
- WAT – Maddox Greene: 4-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, HR, 2 SB
- WAT – JT Cook: 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2 2Bs
- WAT – Evan Burroughs: 1-4, 1 run, 2 walks, 2 SBs
- WAT – Dillon Zaragoza: 1-5, 1 RBI, 2B, SB
