Kelly, Charleston advance to semifinals

Kelly's Brent Forck delivers a pitch to an East Prairie batter Saturday during the first round of the Class 3, District 2 tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Photo by Chris Pobst, Staff)

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CHARLESTON -- At the time, four runs in the top of the seventh inning was just icing on the cake on a win for the Kelly Hawks.

As it would turn out, the initial insurance runs proved to be the difference as the Hawks escaped with a 7-4 upset win over third-seeded East Prairie Saturday during the first round of the Class 3, District 2 tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston.

"Early in the game we'd score here and there, which was good because we're hitting the ball and moving runners around like we're supposed to," Kelly head coach Josh Eftink said, whose team came into the tournament as the sixth seed. "We came through in the seventh inning with some runs that we really needed to add on."

Kelly senior Brent Forck threw a complete game giving up four earned runs on seven hits. He also struck out six in the win.

"We needed Brent to throw a game like that for us," Kelly head coach Josh Eftink said. "We know Brent's a guy who throws a lot of strikes and that's what he did for us today."

Up 3-1 going into the seventh inning, Kelly's Matt Procter began the Hawks' four-run inning by drawing a walk. Gabe Felter smoked his third double of the game down the left field line giving Ty Householder two runners in scoring position. The freshman shortstop drove in one run with a single which was followed by an RBI sacrifice fly by Dilan Rucker and RBI singles by Austin Wadlington and Aaron Grainger.

By the end of their half of the seventh, Kelly, who finished with 13 hits as a team, sat comfortably with a 7-1 advantage.

"We held them to three runs until the seventh inning," East Prairie head coach Gary Scott said. "But, we gave them four in the seventh which shouldn't happen, but it did."

The Eagles, who consist of nothing but freshman and sophomores, tried to bounce back in their half of the last inning.

Mack Marcum and Seth Johnson led off the inning with a single and double. Although Forck struck out the next two batters, Seth Bays came up with a 2-RBI single. Bays later came around to score cutting Kelly's lead to three runs, but a ground ball right at Kelly shortstop Dilan Rucker ended the game.

"We ended up scoring three in the seventh, but by then we had let the game get away from us a little bit," Scott said. "We dug ourselves too deep of a hole to climb out of."

East Prairie freshman Levi Branam was the losing pitcher after five innings. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits and stuck out one.

"Levi has thrown good for us the last couple of outings he's had," Scott said. "We had confidence in him to come out and throw strikes and get some people out. He done exactly what we knew he would do."

East Prairie finished their season with a 7-16 record.

"We've got a good, young group," said Scott. "If we stick together, hopefully next year we can bounce back and have a better season. We scratched out seven wins and for freshman and sophomores on the varsity level that's not bad.

"Wish we could have picked up this win here, but overall not bad for our team."

Kelly moves on to face the district's No. 2 seed in the Scott City Rams Monday at 4 p.m.

"We've played Scott City a few times already and they're a good hitting ball club, "Eftink said. "They score some runs so we have to be ready to bring the bats on Monday."

WP -- Brent Forck. LP -- Levi Branam. Multiple hitters: (K) Gaven Ray 3-4, Austin Wadlington 2-4, Aaron Grainger 2-3, Gabe Felter 3-3; (EP) Seth Johnson 2-4, Dalton Coots 2-4. 2B: (K) Grainger, Felter 3, Dilan Rucker; (EP) Johnson.

Charleston 7, Woodland 3

The Charleston Bluejays live to play another day.

Scoring four runs in the final three innings, the Bluejays pulled a minor upset over No. 4 seed Woodland Saturday during the Class 3, District 2 tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston.

"That's the best game we've played in two years," Charleston head coach Michael Minner said. "We were great on the mound. Defensively, we were amazing. We haven't rolled a double play all year and we get out of two innings with double plays."

Charleston, the fifth seed, out-hit the Cardinals 7-6 and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish in the top of the fifth breaking a 3-3 tie.

DJ Adams, who ended up with three hits for the Bluejays, began the fifth with a leadoff single. He was eventually brought around to score three batters later by Corey Adams, who finished with two hits, including a double and three RBIs, driving him in with a single.

Woodland earned the early lead in the bottom of the first when Garret Reynolds led off their half of the first with a single followed by a walk to Aaron Yount. Dylan Miller, who led the Cardinals with two hits, drove in both runners with a double giving the Cardinals the 2-0 lead.

Charleston bounced back with three runs in the third after a 2-RBI double by Corey Adams put the Bluejays on top 3-2.

Woodland, who finishes their season with an 11-12 record, tied the game an inning later after Evan Grindstaff, who finished with two hits, drove in a run with a double.

From that point on the combination of Trey Watkins and Chance Manness, who pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for the save, limited Woodland to just five base runners.

Watkins picked up the win throwing 5 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs on five hits. He also struck out three.

"That's what you have to have out of a senior. He stepped up," Minner said about Watkins. "That's what we expect out of him. He mixed it up, threw all of his pitches for strikes and he got out of innings when we needed to. He made big pitches all day."

Charleston will now move on to face top-seeded Clearwater Monday at 2 p.m.

Class 1, District 2

ORAN -- Colton Davis hit a double to help the fifth-seeded Braves upset No. 4 Advance at Oran High School during the Class 1, District 2 tournament.

Tyler Masters was the winning pitcher and also doubled. He threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs on one hit and had four strikeouts and three walks for Scott County Central.

Zane Eggimann suffered the loss on the mound for the Hornets (4-18).

The Richland Rebels were routed by Oak Ridge during the other first round game at Oran.

WP -- Tyler Masters. LP -- Zane Eggimann. 2B -- Tyler Masters (SCC), Colton Davis (SCC). Multiple hits -- Scott County Central: Tyler Masters 2-4, Colton Davis 2-3; Advance: Austin Miller 2-3.

WP -- Hunter Seyer. LP -- Branden Wamble. 3B -- Andrew Puchbauer (OR), Kelby Brown (OR). 2B -- Lance Rohde (OR) 2, Andrew Puchbauer (OR), Ryan Below (OR). Multiple hits -- Oak Ridge: Hunter Seyer 3-4, Andrew Puchbauer 2-3, Lance Rohde 2-4, Nathan Bolin 4-4.