In a pitching duel, Elizabethton found a way to win.
The Cyclones plated three runs in the fifth inning and kept David Crockett at bay to take a 3-2 victory in the opening round of the District 1-3A tournament at Joe O’Brien Field on Thursday night.
With the win, Elizabethton advances into Friday’s Winner Bracket finale where they will take on Tennessee High in Bristol. The first pitch is set for 6p.
Crockett moves into an elimination game against Unicoi County with that game to be held at Crockett at 6p on Friday.
It was a defensive battle from the onset as runs were hard to come by.
Both teams went three-up and three-down in the first inning before the Pioneers had the first base runner of the night in the top of the second before a strikeout ended the side. Brayden Buckles drew a walk in the home side of the frame for the Cyclones, but EHS was unable to move the runner.
In the top of the third, Crockett took advantage of a pair of Elizabethton errors to get runners at third and second with two outs. However, the Cyclones saw Jeriah Griffin and Justin Whitehead make grabs to escape the inning with no harm.
Bryson Rowland reached base via walk in the third, but Elizabethton was unable to get anything else going.
After each team was able to get a baserunner in the fourth but no more, the game remained scoreless entering the fifth.
The Cyclones took control in the fifth as Logan Campbell opened the frame with a double, and a fielder’s choice on a hit by Griffin moved Campbell to third.
After a wild pitch allowed Campbell to score, Griffin scored on a Bryson Rowland sac fly, and Steven Meadows hit a double to plate JD Hooks and lift EHS to a 3-0 lead going to the sixth.
The Pioneers got two runs back in the top of the sixth and were able to get the tying run to second in the seventh. However, Elizabethton was able to hold on and advance.
Rhett Slagle struck out 10 batters on the mound for the Cyclones in a complete-game effort. He allowed just two earned runs on six hits.
Campbell, Hooks, and Meadows each had a hit for EHS.
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