Signal Mountain senior baseball star Ben Timblin and his teammates know they have to keep attacking at the plate this season.
The Eagles certainly have been reaching their full potential of late as Monday's 12-0 five-inning District 6-3A victory over visiting Hixson marked their 12th straight win along with their 12th game of double digit run production.
After being kept off balance by Hixson starter Chase Barnard through the first three innings, the Signal Mountain bats came alive.
In a breakthrough 10-run bottom of the fourth inning, which included all nine of the Eagles' hits on the day, the loudest contact came off the barrel of Timblin's bat.
The Wofford baseball signee crushed a fastball over the inside part of the plate well over 50-feet beyond the left-center field fence, which stands 350-feet away from home plate. Timblin's three-run shot opened up a 7-0 lead on his team-high fifth home run of the season.
"That's probably one of the longest home runs I've hit in my life," said Timblin, who also stole two bases in the victory. "My approach up there is to attack, attack, attack. You have to sit there and be ready for it.
"Our team is killing the ball right now and really gelling. The team chemistry is at an all-time high. Everyone is encouraging each other and we all play off each other. We have been excited for this season for a long time now."
The Eagles (15-2, 4-0) received outstanding production from the six through nine hitters in their lineup, which included senior Ty Harper having two hits in his team's fourth-inning explosion that he began with a rip to right field.
Harper was followed in the lineup by senior Blake Wolfard, who scored a team-high three runs, along with sophomores Max Rackel and Vance Wilburn, who drove in three runs.
"Bumper (Reese) and I have talked and we don't think we have had a team make adjustments at the plate in a game as well as this team does," Eagles coach Josh Gandy said. "They are fun to coach and really connected. They work their tails off and are super coachable."
Signal starter Barrett Anderson tossed a five-inning shutout, while he also drove in two runs following a double by junior Cash Keene.
Anderson and Timblin have formed a formidable 1-2 punch on the mound for the Eagles, who have outscored their competition 199-59 through 17 games this season.
"We are really coming together," Anderson said. "We have played together for a long time. It is nice to see us executing and getting the job done. We are exactly where we need to be right now."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.