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The 2023 Morristown West baseball season has been all about changing the narrative.

On Monday evening, that continued.

Taking on Sevier County, Morristown West got two runs in the first and one in the third and that was more than enough as Paxton Seal threw a complete game in the Trojans 3-1 win over the Smoky Bears.

With the win, West moved to 6-9 on the season and 4-3 in district play.

“I’m proud of the guy because the stuff that we have been preaching over and over again, they did that,” West coach Justin Pickett said. “They needed that win. They’re capable of playing with anybody, especially with Paxton on the mound. It’s just clean baseball. It’s good pitching, good defense and manufacturing a couple runs.”

The win was the second district streak that Morristown West has broken against opponents this season. Monday night’s win was the first over Sevier County since March of 2019. Earlier in the year, the Trojans beat Jefferson County for the first time since 2019.

The Trojans now have four district wins on the season, doubling the combined win total in the district in 2020 and 2021.

“We have competitors and young guys that hadn’t been there before (the past few years), but now they’re there and are seeing the results of hard work,” Pickett said. “Once you learn how to win those games, it builds confidence. The ceiling is really high for us.”

Seal, just a sophomore, was the star for the Trojans, firing a complete game. Seal gave up a run in the first but was automatic after that, striking out 11 while allowing just three hits.

It’s Seal’s third district win of the season on the mound. In those three wins, Seal has thrown 19 innings and has 30 strikeouts while allowing just four runs.

“Tonight, he just had all pitches in his back pocket,” Pickett said. “He was throwing his fastball in and out and up and down and threw his curveball for strikes. He kept them off balance. He just attacks and doesn’t waste a lot of pitches. He wanted that win tonight. He’s always ready to pitch, and it’s just fun to let him go do his thing. I am excited to see what he can do the next couple years.”

At the plate, Bryson Jenkins came through early with an RBI single in the first and then a solo homer in the third to give the Trojans some insurance.

“His bat is huge for our lineup because he puts the ball in play almost every single time,” Pickett said. “He hits the ball hard. He always gives us a good at-bat up there.”

The other run for West came after Jenkins’ single in the first inning when Cody Blair hit an RBI single.

Following Jenkins’ homer in the third that made it 3-1, Seal didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way. Fittingly, the game ended on a comebacker to Seal that he batted down and fired to Riley Short at first.

Morristown West and Sevier County will be back in action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Sevier County. For West, they will look to ride the momentum from Monday, with a win on Tuesday putting them one game back of the Smoky Bears in the district standings.

“We just have to go back and play them like this tomorrow,” Pickett said. “(Brady) Scott is a beast on the mound for them. We saw that last time. It’s just another challenge for us, but if we play well again and scrap out some runs, you never know.”