With the baseball results now carrying greater weight, Darlington School head baseball coach Matt Larry gave the starting pitching assignment of the Region 6A D-I opener Tuesday to Cooper Norris.
Norris responded with six strong innings without an earned run allowed to visiting intra-county rival Model High. He struck out seven, walked one and scattered four hits as the Tigers quietly and systematically collected 10 runs on offense to win 10-1.
Both teams entered the game with identical 4-4 records. While Darlington jumped one game over .500, Model will look to bring both sides back to the break-even level when the two play the second game of their region three-game series on the Blue Devil field Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
They all return to Darlington for the third game Friday at 4 p.m.
Thomas Hargett also pitched in Tuesday’s contest for Larry, working a scoreless top of the seventh to close things out with one strikeout. He was also one of the top producers at the plate with three hits and two runs batted in.
Braxton Stegall also had three hits to drove home two runs. In all, the Tigers had 12 hits.
Model’s Chris Williams, a sophomore third baseman, went 2-for-2, including the game’s first safety in the initial Blue Devil turn.
It was Darlington, though, punching out four hits for four runs in the bottom of the first. Knox Merritt was hit by a pitch to start it off, and with one out Hargett singled him home. Following an error in the infield, Wilson Lucas singled for two RBIs.
Stegall’s single completed the four-run rally.
Brantley Patch, the opposing Blue Devil pitcher, doubled to lead off the top of the second, but Norris retired the next three hitters with two whiffs.
Model also got its leadoff batter on in the top of the third as Landen Mitchell singled. Norris was able to strand two runners on base and keep the shutout intact with a pair of fielder’s choice grounders.
The Darlington bats went back to work to double their run total in the home third by getting their first three hitters on base. Singles came from Lucas and Stegall (with an RBI), and Norris dropped down a sacrifice bunt.
With two outs, Merritt had a pop fly ruled fair inside the right field line. With that, two runs scored and brought about a pitching change for Model. Left-hander Brayden Mayo took over, but was greeted by an RBI single from Jackson Loy. Darlington looked for more from a second bloop hit in right, this by Hargett, but the Blue Devils successfully threw home for out No. 3.
With an 8-0 lead, the Tigers gave up the only Model run in the top of the fourth thanks to consecutive errors. Jack Wilkes put the ball in play to get the visitors on the board, but then the Tiger infield pulled off the 4-6-3 double play.
Darlington added one run in the fourth and one in the fifth.
This article was originally published in the Rome-News Tribune on March 5, 2026.
