Arlington Exits NHSI On High Note

CARY, N.C.—A pitcher’s duel broke out on Field 3 of the National Training Complex, a game that was an afterthought in the NHSI standings and anything but that to Arlington (Tenn.) and Hough High of Charlotte, N.C.

Arlington got three of its five hits when it counted, rallying for its first NHSI victory on Noah Miller’s walk-off single for a 2-1 victory. Righthander Ryan Taylor tossed a complete game for the win.

“I told the guys the other day, you learn a lot through failure, and you don’t always learn from victory,” Arlington coach Chris Ring said. “I told the guys, I think we’ve learned a lot, because we’re 0-3; it was time for a win.”

Hough lefthander Jake Whitman, making his first varsity start, allowed just two hits and two walks through the first six innings, baffling Arlington with an assortment of high-70s fastballs and high-60s changeups, mixing in the occasional curveball. Tigers catcher Hunter Goodman led off the seventh with an infield single and advanced on a perfect bunt single by Luke Patterson, ending Whitman’s day.

Reliever Teddy Coyer struck out the next batter but hung one to Miller, who banged a hard line drive into the gap in left-center field. Miller raised his right arm in triumph on his way to first as courtesy runner Justin Ogle scored the winning run.

That made a winner out of Taylor, who sat in the low-80s with his heater and elicited swings and misses with his breaking ball, limiting Hough to four hits. He struck out four, and while he hit a batter he didn’t give up any walks. The only run he allowed was unearned; the Huskies scored on a pair of errors and a two-out single in the second by third baseman David Campbell.

“I felt like we competed,” Hough coach James Cochran said of his team’s 1-3 NHSI performance. “I thought we had maybe one bad inning out of the 28 or so we played here. We were competitive in all four games, and I certainly think this will give us an edge when we get back home . . . I thought we’d swing it a little better. We had some tight games that could have gone the other way if we’d swung it better.

“Certainly the Charlotte area has gotten a lot better and has very competitive baseball. But for four days here, the level of this event, it’s probably an experience you can only get here.”

Whitman allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two. But on this day, it wasn’t enough against Arlington.

“Not a lot of teams out here are used to losing,” coach Ring said. “We’re not used to losing. We knew coming in every game was going to be a state championship caliber game. We wound up facing every dude that they had. We’re in game three and we’re facing 93 (mph) with a power slider and he’s signed with Florida. That’s a testament to USA Baseball and the NHSI to get these guys here. We’re fortunate to be a part of it.”