Tyler Hummel scattered three hits across 5 1/3 innings and Ethan Syling and Eric Harper both scored twice as Nolensville opened up the TSSAA Class AA State Baseball Tournament with a 4-1 win over Signal Mountain Tuesday afternoon at Smyrna High School. The big stage left a shadow of jitters on both sides early. Hummel walked the first batter of the game in four pitches, walked another and gave up a single to go down 1-0 before he got his third strike out of the contest. “Yeah, I was a little nervous early, and that’s something I’ve been working on,” the junior said after the game. “But in the second inning, it started to feel like just a regular game.” It helped that Syling opened the bottom of the first with a walk, got moved forward on singles by Hummel and Quentin Jenkins before racing home on a wild pitch to tie the game. Over the next 4 1/3 innings, Hummel pitched like it was a regular game, giving up only a pair of singles to the next 14 batters he faced, striking out four. By the time he was lifted for Ethan McElvain in the fifth, the Knights had a 4-1 lead that the powerful southpaw protected to the finish. “Hummel gave us a great start and really shortened the game. He gave us the lead when we brought in McElvain. That’s really the way we drew it up,” said Nolensville coach Zach Hudson. “Once he got settled in and started pumping the zone, he’s tough. That’s what he’s been all year for us. “The way this tournament is drawn up, you’ve got to win early. If you lose, it’s a long way out.” Nolensville took the lead when Harper scored on Grayson Rains’ sac bunt, added to it on Syling’s lead-off single that turned into a run after a balk and a Hummel single and plated the final run in the sixth. “Ethan (Syling) is a senior who is the type of kid that if he’s on your side you love him and if he’s playing against you, you hate him. He’s just a pest,” Hudson said with a laugh. “Everybody knows he’s fast and he just creates havoc.” Nolensville (25-9) will face the winner of the Ripley-Pigeon Forge game Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at Smyrna, while Signal Mountain (26-9) will face the loser of that game at 10 a.m.

Source:  Williamson Herald