The Elizabethton Cyclones will be in the sub-state round of the TSSAA baseball playoffs, but a game on Wednesday against Greeneville will determine whether that game on Friday is home or away.
That all came to pass with the Cyclones 6-2 victory over Grainger on Monday at Joe O’Brien Field. Senior left-hander Garrett Hartley went four-plus innings giving up two runs on three hits. He struck out six and walked five.
“I think nervousness got to me a little,” Hartley said when asked about the free passes. “It feels great to get this win. We have the right program to do this, and we’ve been getting better and better every year since I was a freshman. All we do, we do for God.”
Grainger (16-19) struck first with a run in the top of the first inning as both Clint Bolin and Brock Davidson each singled to put Grainger runners on the corners. Hartley retired the next two hitters before a passed ball allowed Bolin to score from third for a 1-0 Grainger lead.
EHS (20-10) struck right back with two away in the bottom of the first. Senior shortstop Michael Robinson was hit by a pitch and freshman Evan Carter stroked a base knock to right. District tournament MVP Brodie Adams then collected an RBI single to center, but Carter was thrown out at third to end the threat.
The Cyclones added two more runs in the second frame with Ethan Eggleston bashing a two-bagger to center to plate Matthew Dailey and Evan Perkins who reached on a walk and an error respectively.
Eggleston was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a triple but the damage had been done.
“He made a real good throw,” Cyclones head coach Ryan Presnell said of the play at third. “It was a big coaching mistake there, making the last out at third base. That’s a me problem, I have got a lot of faith in these guys on the bases. We work on base running a lot, so I saw he had a good turn – he got thrown out – but if he makes it you’re a hero.”
With a two-run lead, Hartley went back to work in a one-two-three third inning, but he walked the first two hitters in the fourth inning. He retired the next two with Landon Holt striking out for the second out and Bolin taking strike three for the third out.
Once again the control issue reared up in the fifth and Presnell made a move to Dailey in relief.
Cyclones pitching walked eight on the day but they also struck out ten, so whenever they got into trouble it seemed they would work their way out of it.
“We have really good defense and pitching,” Robinson said. “Whoever we have behind the plate does a great job for us, and we just have amazing defense. Ethan’s a great hitter and everything he hits just back spins like crazy. We are definitely up to whoever we play next, we don’t care who it is. If we keep playing good defense and pitching well, I think it gives us a great chance.”
Perkins had a two-run base hit in the fourth to deliver Adams who singled to lead things off and Dailey who reached on the second of five errors the Grizzlies would commit on the day. The miscue put EHS runners at second and third, and Perkins singled back up the middle to give the Cyclones a 5-1 lead.
Each team scored a run in the fifth with Grainger’s coming on two walks, a fielder’s choice and another passed ball to cut the EHS lead to 5-2. The Cyclones answered with singles from Robinson and Carter and the fourth error of the game allowed Robinson to score the final run.
EHS takes on Greeneville – who defeated Sullivan South 8-0 – on Wednesday afternoon at Joe O’Brien Field with game time set for 6 pm.
Regional semifinal
Elizabethton 6-2
Grainger 100 010 0 – 2 3 5
Elizabethton 120 210 x – 6 7 1
W – Hartley L – Sales
DP – G 1. LOB – G 11, E 6. 2B – Eggleston