Elizabethton kept the season alive on Saturday by punching a ticket to the Class 3A sectional round.
The Cyclones fell 13-2 to Greeneville in the Region 1-3A Championship game but bounced back and picked up a 9-1 win over Volunteer in the consolation game to advance.
Elizabethton is set to open the Class 3A Sectional best-of-three series at Gibbs on Wednesday.
Against Greeneville, the Cyclones were unable to answer a pair of big Greene Devil innings in the closing stages.
Elizabethton struck first in the bottom of the first.
Bryson Rowland drew a walk, and JD Hooks moved the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Steven Meadows hit a double to plate Rowland. After Rhett Slagle drew a walk, he worked his way to third and scored on a passed ball to give EHS a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
Greeneville countered with two runs in the top of the third. Neither team was able to get anything going until the fifth when Greeneville took a 4-2 lead.
Elizabethton kept battling but was unable to answer a four-run sixth inning and a five-run seventh inning by the Greene Devils.
Logan Campbell and Meadows each had a hit. Meadows added an RBI.
Against Volunteer, Elizabethton wasn’t going to be denied.
After a scoreless first inning, Elizabethton struck first as Justin Whitehead scored as Brayden Buckles grounded out. EHS pushed the lead to 2-0 when Jeriah Griffin scored off a Jack Blevins single.
The Cyclones took full control in the fourth.
B. Buckles opened the scoring as he touched home plate after a Griffin bunt. JD Hooks hit a single to score Griffin, while Meadows hit a line drive to center field to push Rowland and Hooks. Slagle capped the scoring as he hit a single that scored Meadows to give EHS a 7-0 lead.
Volunteer got a run back in the top of the fifth, but Rowland and Hooks scored in the sixth to secure the win for Elizabethton.
Meadows went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Hooks, Slagle, B. Buckles, and Blevins had a hit and a RBI a piece.
On the mound, Rowland went five innings and allowed no earned runs on one hit with four strikeouts.
Photos by Tate Russell
