CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Racing out with a quick start provided District 6 champ Bradley Central all the runs its needed to nip District 5 runner-up McMinn County Saturday to advance to the Region 3 title game.
With the 2-1 hard-fought victory over their oldest rival, the Bears will turn around and battle archrival Cleveland, the District 5 champion Cleveland Sunday afternoon at 1 to see who will get to host a TSSAA Sectional best-of-3 series this week.
After barely missing the substate last year for the first time in five seasons, Bradley (25-7) has won 25 of its previous 27 games after an 0-5 start to the campaign.
Making its first region appearance since a 2007 state tournament run, Cleveland (23-11) slipped past Ooltewah 5-3 in Saturday's other semifinal.
After the Bears and Blue Raiders, ranked 22nd and 26th respectively in the current Maxpreps Class 4A poll, tangle for the third time this season for the region crown, the Cherokees (20-16) and (Owls 9-21) will square off in an elimination game at 3:30.
The McMinn/Ooletwah victor will turn around and play the Bradley/Cleveland loser for the region runner-up slot and punch its ticket to the other Sectional slot.
They will have to travel to Murfreesboro for a best-of-3 series at Region 4 champ and 11th-ranked Siegel (30-12).
The Bradley/Cleveland winner will host the Region 4 runner-up which will be either No. 7-ranked Riverdale (35-10), 24th-ranked Stewarts Creek (22-13) or No. 16 Wilson Central (23-11). Stewarts Creek and Wilson Central were battling in an elimination game at presstime, with the winner advancing to face Riverdale for second place.
The Sectional series must be played between Wednesday and Saturday of the coming week, with the TSSAA State Championships set for the following week at Spring Fling.
After setting down McMinn in order in the top of the first, Lee University signee Alex Brew started the opening Bradley rally with a bunt single in the bottom of the inning.
Junior Jaxon Humble did the same and UTC football signee Luke Keith dropped down the third straight bunt for a sacrifice to move the runners up a base.
Sophomore Tyler Cook drove home the first run with a sac fly before Cleveland State signee Hank Adams ripped a double to right-center field to plate the other.
Bradley would only get two more hits off McMinn starter senior John Bryce the rest of the way — a second-inning, two-out double by senior Teigan Cassada and cook leading off the bottom of the sixth with a one-base knock.
Brew made the two runs stand out, allowing just three hits in the first five Tribe at bats.
The District 6 Player of the Year got in a little trouble in the top of the sixth as a one-out double by Carson-Newman signee Mason Roderick before Cleveland State bound Hunter McDonald and pinch hitter Cam Miller added back-to-back two-out singles, the second of which brought in Roderick to cut the deficit in half.
The Bear lefty ace answered with his seventh strikeout of the contest to end the threat.
Cleveland State signee Brody Casteel came on to throw a no-hit seventh to push his program-record save mark to 10 on the season.
McMinn did threaten in the final at bat drawing a pair of walks and loading the bases on a Bear error, but the host squelched all rally dreams with game-ending 4-6-3 double play. Humble fielded the ball, flipped it to Adams, who fired to first baseman and Bryan signee Josh Leek to nip the batter.
Game Summary
Region 3-4A Semifinals at McKenzie Baseball Complex
McMinn County 000 001 0 — 1 6 0
Bradley Central 200 000 0 — 2 5 2
Bryson and H. McDonld; Brew, Casteel (7) and Stott.
WP: Alex Brew. LP: John Bryson. Save: Brody Casteel.
Records: McMinn County 20-16; Bradley Central 25-7.
(Contact Joe Cannon at joe.cannon@clevelandbanner.com)