When Polk County High School head baseball coach Ty Stott walked to the mound with Owen batting in the visitors’ fourth inning on Friday, May 1, he unhappily made what he called one of the toughest decisions in baseball. He replaced a pitcher.

The Wolverines could possibly have kept their 3-0 lead, but Owen scored eight runs in the fourth, taking the game’s momentum, on the way to a 10-6 win, and possession of third place in the Western Highlands Conference.

Polk, which was gunning for third place in the conference, fell to 5-6 in the WHC, while the Warhorses moved to 7-5.

Scoring twice in the first, and once in the third, Polk ran into trouble in the fourth.

Overuse caught up with starting pitcher Konner Scruggs, who had performed very well for most of the season, and whose fastball and off-speed offerings lacked their usual snap, was unable to complete the fourth inning.

That inning started out promising for the Wolverines. Owen’s leadoff batter sent a medium-speed bouncer to the right of shortstop Daniel Painter. Painter made a diving stop, followed by a good, but slightly low throw that first-sacker Morgan Groves snapped up from a stretch.

Trouble began when the next batter lined a single to right, and stole second. A pop fly fell into left-center, putting runners at second and third. Out number two came on a fly to right, and no advance by the runners. A single to left scored one run, and put runners at first and third.

The next better lined one to Painter’s right at short. Painter leaped to his right, with the ball taking up a too-temporary residence in his glove, before dropping safely, allowing another run to score.

A weak grounder to short and a bobbled (and possibly late) toss to second, loaded the bases, and prompted Stott’s walk to the mound. Painter came in from short, to pitch, with J.D. Edwards moving from third to short, and Scruggs playing third.

Painter, who pitched generally well, was greeted with a two-run single, on a possible hit-and-run play, as the runner from third was nearly home as the batter swung. That gave Owen a 4-3 lead, but the visitors were not finished.

A walk re-loaded the bases, and another walk scored Owen’s fifth run. Those three runners steamed home as the next batter lined a double into the gap in right-center. Painter retired the next batter, but Polk was down, 8-3.

Dequan Gary walked to lead off Polk’s fourth, but Edwards’s hard grounder became a double play ball, as Owen returned the favor of Polk’s turning an infield DP earlier. A strikeout later, and Owen was back at bat.

The Warhorses put runners on first and third, before Painter retired the last batter on strikes.

Polk plated a pair of runs in the fifth. Tyler Campbell led off with a leadoff fly single down the left field line. Bryce Martin’s double to the gap in right-center scored Campbell. Mark Mazzilli scorched a liner right at the right fielder, who appeared to misjudge the ball, before it found his glove for out number one. Martin held his ground.

Painter’s infield single put runners on first and third, before Martin scored on a groundout, cutting Owen’s lead to 8-5.

Painter walked Owen’s first batter in the sixth. After stealing second, the runner tried to swipe third, but Campbell threw him out. Painter got the next two batters on a strikeout and grounder.

In the seventh, Owen used a two-run double for insurance, before Stott brought Campbell to the mound to finish the inning. With two down, an Owen batter smashed one onto the gap in left center, but Mazzilli, running hard to his right from center, made a fine catch to retire the side.

Martin led off Polk’s seventh with an infield single. Mazzilli lined a single to left, with Martin taking third. With Painter at the plate, Mazzilli sped to second on a dropped pitch. Painter’s groundout brought Martin in from third, to end the scoring at 10-6.

“They definitely hit the ball well,” Stott said of Owen. “We should have left that (fourth) inning (ahead) 3-0. “They (Owen batters) were seeing the ball really good.”

However, Stott noted also that Polk was unable to make a few plays that on other nights, they might have.

“As coach, you sit in the fold-up chair, and can’t do anything.”

Stott added that when the two teams met earlier in the season (with Polk winning, 4-2), his team probably outplayed the Warhorses in every way. On Friday, though, Stott admitted, “They might have outplayed us in every way this time.”

Scruggs, whose right arm covered many an assignment, didn’t have his stuff on Friday, but “he’s out there with guts and determination,” Stott continued.

While Painter’s fastball was there, Stott noted that Owen is a very good fastball-hitting team.

Polk needed a win to have a shot at third-place, which they might have claimed via a tie-breaker said Stott. Now, the Wolverines might make the playoffs as a wild card.

The Wolverines finish the regular season at Hendersonville, at this point, the conference leader at 9-2, on Tuesday, May 5.