Two games in one day no problem for Bradburn

BLOUNTVILLE — Two baseball games in two different locations on the same day can make for a lot of baseball. Don't look for any complaints from David Crockett sophomore Carson Bradburn. "I love it, I love playing baseball," he said. "It is fun, the best thing in the world right now. It is fun." David Crockett (10-10) dropped a pair of decisions on Friday, falling 9-2 at Dobyns-Bennett in a morning start, and then fell, 14-6, at West Ridge later in the day. Still, it's baseball, and Bradburn was just excited to be on a diamond somewhere. "I have just always loved it," Bradburn said. "My brother played, I loved watching him play and I just love being out there with the guys and just team bonding. I love it, I love being with the team." David Crockett head coach Brian Miller would like to have a few more Carson's playing for the Pioneers. "If we could clone him we would be in great shape. The best thing about Carson is he is just a competitor," Miller said. "It don't matter where you put him, it don't matter. He competes and competes and competes. He has been red-hot, the last I looked he was hitting .450 or something close to that." Bradburn is rarely cheated at the plate. He had a hit in each game on Friday, including a hard-hit single against West Ridge, and he also hit a pair of hard shots that turned into loud outs. "It is batting practice and just staying consistent and trying to hit a little bit every day," Bradburn said. "Just working on it, you are not going to get a hit every game, but I am just trying to hit the ball hard and up the middle." A fan of the Atlanta Braves, Bradburn, who bats left-handed, is a big fan of Oakland Athletics' young slugger Nick Kurtz, who is also a lefty swinger with plenty of power in his bat. "I like watching his swing and I learn a little bit from it," Bradburn said. "I kind of have a similar swing and I try to keep my hands back and just load up and go to the ball." Also a pitcher for David Crockett, Blackburn likes playing third base, which is known as the "hot corner" for the hot shots hit his way. He made a few flawless plays in the field against West Ridge. "I love third base, I have played third base a lot. I love it over there," said Bradburn, who prefers third base to the mound. "I like them both. I would say I like third base a little better though, but really I can play anywhere. I just like being on the field with my teammates." Miller likes the competitiveness that Bradburn brings to the field, no matter where it is on the field. He spent much of last season as a freshman catcher for the Pioneers. "He competes in the box, he competes at third, at he competes on the bump," Miller said. "For a sophomore he is mature beyond his years as far as being a competitor. He gets after it, good kid, great kid. He has got A.J. (Ford) behind him, which that helps him a little bit, but you can't say enough about him." Bradburn, who has decided not to play football in the fall after getting injured last season, is smart enough to seek help from coaches and teammates, including Ford, who normally bats fourth in front of Bradburn in the David Crockett lineup. "It is experience and just learning and listening to the coaches," he said. "I have learned a lot from A.J. and some of the older guys in telling me what I need to do and what I need to fix. it is just knowing the situations." David Crockett has shown a fighting spirit this season, rallying for four runs in the top of the seventh for a win at Daniel Boone last month, and the Pioneers overcame a 4-1 deficit to score five runs in the top of the sixth on Friday to take a 6-4 lead over the Wolves. "We don't give up and I like that," Bradburn said. "As a team I think if we just stay focused and we stay up the whole game no matter the score I think we have a lot of potential to be good." That didn't prove to be enough on Friday, as West Ridge (6-8) scored 10 runs over the final two innings to pull away, but Miller, like Bradburn, sees potential for better days ahead. "We are up and down, that has been us all year. We can look good and then we will just be down, but we have just got to figure a few things out," Miller said. "We have got to get ahead in the count and catch when they hit it to us. It is baseball. As Coach (Grady) Baker said we need to play basic baseball, sometimes we forget that." There is still time to figure out the basics, and Bradburn thinks the Pioneers will do just that as the season progresses toward the postseason. "I think we have a lot of potential," he said. "If we play hard and play as a team I think we have a really good chance to make it pretty far this year. I think we have a good team this year." Although just a sophomore, Bradburn is already thinking ahead to a life in baseball after his days in Jonesborough have come to an end. "My goal right now is try to make it to the next level," he said. "I would really love to play college baseball and that is what I am working for. That is the goal."