By Jesse Smithey
MURFREESBORO – The Christian Academy of Knoxville baseball team needed to win twice Thursday to capture the Division II-A state championship.
Well, Step 1 is complete.
The Warriors run-ruled Tipton-Rosemark, 10-0, in five innings at Middle Tennessee State’s Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Hunter Loyd pitched the complete game, allowing two hits and striking out three against one walk. The East Tennessee State commit also went 2-for-3 in the No. 5 spot in the lineup.
Kentucky commitment Jacob Tate went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Both hits were doubles. Zane Keener, from the leadoff spot, sparked CAK with a 2-for-3 day with three runs scored, an RBI and a walk.
Garrett Breeden collected two hits and an RBI. Connor Jurek went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and two walks.
CAK will seek its third state championship later Thursday afternoon, having won titles in 2014 and 2017 in Class AA.