Bulldog senior Tommy Drinkwine provided the only surge of adrenalin in Quitman’s opening game of the Grand Saline baseball tourney last week. Quitman was shut out in the Thursday morning match-up with the Wills Point Tigers, 7-0, in cold, drizzly weather.

Leading-off in the top of the fourth, Drinkwine walloped a pitch into right field. It was the best-hit ball of the game by either side. The Wills Point right-fielder was sprinting toward the fence, and Drinkwine’s line drive easily cleared him. It rolled to the fence and Drinkwine legged-out a triple. 

Unfortunately for Quitman, Drinkwine was later put-out at the plate when trying to score on a passed ball.  In the same inning, Payton Sapp reached after being hit by a pitch, and Landon Green laced a clean single into right field which would have easily scored Drinkwine. 

The Bulldogs managed just four hits off of Tiger pitching, only twice putting baserunners in scoring position. 

The Tigers wasted no time in jumping out to a lead. They registered four runs in the first on five base hits, and with the assistance of a passed ball and a wild pitch. In the second, Wills Point added two runs on a 2-RBI single and two Quitman errors. The last Tiger score came courtesy of an error and a fielder’s choice.

The Bulldogs never got untracked and appeared out of sync in the mid-morning game. 

Green threw  four innings  and was relived by sophomore Cannin Peppers who came out to throw the fifth.