BRISTOL, Tenn. — The law of averages said that it was bound to happen sooner or later, and it did. Suddenly, Tennessee High's historic baseball season is down to its last out.
While all of the Tennessee High big boppers had nothing to offer, a 150-pound mighty might swung for the fences and boosted Elizabethton to a stunning victory Friday night in the District 1-AAA winner's bracket final at Tod Houston Field.
Logan Campbell, who'd been quiet offensively, roped a two-out, two-run double off the wall in the top of the seventh inning, lifting Elizabethton overtop in a 5-4 upset of the powerful Vikings.
Tennessee High had blown the doors off the Upper Lakes Conference with a 12-0 record, a whopping six games up on second-place finishers Elizabethton and David Crockett. The top-seeded Vikings (24-5) had won league games by scores like 17-0, 14-1, 13-1, 16-6 and 15-5.
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But despite losing all three of their games with Tennessee High, including one of those mercy-rule blowouts, the second-seeded Cyclones (13-16) ultimately demonstrated that the quality of the Upper Lakes runs deep — and that it's a tough mountain to continually climb.
Tennessee High had won its 13th straight game against league comp when it defeated Unicoi County for the fourth time in the first round of the district tournament, but instead it's upstart Elizabethton which has already punched a ticket to next week's Region 1-AAA tournament.
"It's bound to happen eventually, right?" 11th-year Tennessee High coach Preston Roberts said. "You know, you play teams three or four ... ever how many times a year it is ... and they're all competitive games. I know we've run-ruled some teams, but this is a really good league."
There is no need to panic, the coach said, despite the fact that Tennessee High's season will be on the line Saturday at 3 o'clock when the Vikings host Crockett in an elimination game.
The survivor of that one will have to beat Elizabethton twice to win the district championship.
The Cyclones get the day off before hosting the THS-Crockett winner Sunday in the championship round. An Elizabethton loss Sunday would force an ultimate title game Monday.
But Roberts isn't so concerned about a district title, necessarily. Getting by Crockett is the thing.
Beating the Pioneers for a fourth time would qualify the Vikings for the four-team, double-elimination Region 1-AAA tournament, to be held at Greeneville High School.
Earning the district's No.1 seed means less when a regional is held on the road at one site.
"You win the district or you finish second, it really doesn't matter," Roberts said. "Next week we're all on the road to Greeneville for a four-team, double-elimination tournament and you're going to have to play Greeneville the first game or the second game, regardless."
So, again, beating Crockett is the thing.
"Yeah, it stinks, but it's not like we're not in some massive hole that we can't climb out of," Roberts said. "The kids come out and focus tomorrow, we can be all right."
Elizabethton is now in the catbird seat, because Campbell responded when it mattered most, ripping a line drive over the head of THS left fielder Preston Feagins, banging it off the wall for a two-bagger that erased a 4-3 Viking advantage.
"He's kept himself in the lineup with timely hitting and great defense," Elizabethton coach Ryan Presnell said. "He's a very unselfish player who has sold out to doing things the Cyclone way."
Campbell only gave Elizabethton the lead -- relief pitcher Justin Whitehead still had to get through the heart of the Viking lineup to claim the win. No problem.
A 6-foot, 165-pound sophomore right-hander, Whitehead struck out Tennessee High's No.3 and No.4 hitters, then got the 5-hole stick to ground out to end it. He fanned four batters in his two innings of work, making some reputably good hitters look bad with an effortless curveball.
"I can't even explain it -- it feels great," Whitehead said. "It's a great feeling going out there and getting those two Ks in the seventh, and knowing that my defense is backing me up like they do. I felt like I could have thrown anything there at the end and we would have gotten out."
Elizabethton's rally came at the expense of Cooper Harris, a right-hander who relieved starting pitcher Cainan Meyers to begin the seventh inning.
Meyers, a senior right-hander who relayed a 4-3 lead, allowed seven hits and three runs (all earned) over six innings, striking out 11 and walking three before exhausting his pitch limit while fanning his last batter to end a bases-loaded threat.
Harris induced a fly-ball out to open the top of the seventh, before pacesetters Rhett Slagle and Brayden Buckles both worked walks around another flyout. Campbell then delivered his dagger.
Campbell had struck out his first two at-bats before laying down a successful sacrifice bunt.
"He (Meyers) was spinning me up," the 5-foot-9 Campbell said. "But that last AB, when they switched that pitcher right there, I got up and I was sitting on a fastball because that's what he (Harris) had been throwing (to previous batters in the seventh inning) and, what can I say?"
Roberts tipped his hat.
"Hey, credit to their guy," he said. "Two outs, clutch moment and he smokes one off the wall."
Prior to the seventh, THS had gained the upper hand by taking advantage of the wildness of Cyclone starter Bryson Rowland, a left-hander who walked seven in five innings but minimized damage by striking out five and allowing just three hits. His curveball kept him in the game.
A sacrifice fly from Gage Graziano and an Elizabethton throwing error gave THS a 2-0 lead in the first inning, before the Cyclones tied it up with two runs of their own in the second frame, Jack Blevins delivering an RBI double and Rowland drilling a run-scoring single.
THS assumed a 4-2 advantage in the second when Bryson Hutton produced an RBI single and Feagins contributed a run-scoring groundout.
Elizabethton cut its deficit to 4-3 in the third inning when Whitehead started a two-out rally with a single and Buckles drove him home with a double just by a diving Hutton in center field.
Hutton had two of Tennessee High's three base hits -- surely a season low for the Vikings.
Buckles played big for the Cyclones with his RBI double, two singles, a walk and two runs scored. Rowland collected two of Elizabethton's eight hits.
Elizabethton 021 000 2—5 8 3
Tennessee High 220 000 0—4 3 2
Rowland, Whitehead (6) and Hooks. C. Meyers, Harris (7) and Lively, C. Meyers (7). W – Whitehead. L –Harris. HR – none.