Sports Editor

After a forfeit by George Washington Carver (who didn’t show up for the second year in a row) gave the Charles Henderson Trojans baseball team an uncontested mark in the win column, CHHS fell hard to a tough Jeff Davis team for the second time this year.

The Volunteers threw their best pitcher at the Trojans for the second time this season as well and he shut the Trojans out 5-0 allowing only three Charles Henderson hits. Jason Barron, Clint Pugh and David Taylor notched the only Trojan hits.

"They just shut us down, just like the last time we played them," CHHS head coach Steve Garrett said. "We faced their number one pitcher again and he held us to only three hits. They’re a very tough baseball team, probably one of top five in the state in any classification."

Ranked at No. 4 in the State’s Class 6A poll, Jeff Davis could possibly be one of the toughest opponents Charles Henderson will face all year. It was not a game that the Trojans, who have now lost four of their last five games, necessarily needed right now, but something Garrett isn’t tired of.

"We’ve definitely been humbled the last couple of weeks," Garrett said of his team. "Still, even with the losses, I would rather play a great Jeff Davis team and lose than play a weaker team that we beat by 20 runs. It does something for us to face a tough opponent and a tough pitcher like we did against Jeff Davis. This will definitely get us ready for the tough teams to come. Not many teams play as tough a schedule as we do."

Garrett wants his team to start swinging the stick with a little more precision. Since nabbing a No. 5 ranking in the Class 5A/4A polls, CHHS has hit a slump at the plate.

"We’ve been in a slump at the plate as of late," he said. "Hopefully we can come out of it this next week. We have to find something offensively to get us started."

The early game on Thursday was canceled due to weather and the tournament having to rearrange its games. CHHS did play at 7:30 last night (to late to get results in the paper).

The Trojans will go back to work on the most important part of their schedule this coming Tuesday as they travel to Russell County for their first Area game of the year. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m.