GREENVILLE -- Christ Church pitcher Stephen Young, his tired right shoulder wrapped in ice after 10 innings of pitching and one inning at shortstop, might have been the happiest of all the Cavaliers.
Young gave up just one run in his 10 innings and the Cavaliers scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on Wednesday, defeating visiting Indian Land 2-1 and claiming the Class A District IV championship. With the win, Christ Church advances to the state semifinals against Chesterfield on Saturday.
Indian Land's Alex Rodriguez led off the game by reaching on an error, and later scored on an RBI single from Alex Matzeit. Despite getting the leadoff runner on in four of the next five innings, the Warriors stranded 12 and were unable to push across another run.
Warriors starter Tyler Watkins matched Young pitch for pitch through seven innings, giving up no extra-base hits and not allowing a run after Christ Church's Tommy Evans scored in the first inning on an RBI single from Young.
In the bottom of the 11th, Cavaliers catcher Ricky Davis led off with a single through the middle off Matzeit, who relieved Watkins in the eighth. Graham Mullikin's sacrifice attempt netted him a base hit, and with two outs and runners on second and third, the Warriors walked Evans intentionally to pitch to Will Merline, who had struck out four times in the game.
Merline promptly drilled a single between short and third to plate Davis with the winning run and the celebration was on.
Indian Land coach Kevin Durham said he was proud of his team, especially in the playoffs, and could not have asked for more from his defense or pitchers.
"Our kids have played with a lot of heart, and I could not be prouder of them," Durham said. "This was just a great baseball game, and Watkins, who is just a sophomore, pitched great and we played great behind him. Our kids played outstanding."
• DIXIE 7, LEWISVILLE 1 -- At Due West, having won its first two games in the Class A District I playoffs, Dixie High School's baseball team had some room for error in the district finals.
The Hornets ended up not needing the margin.
Dixie (16-1) used six second-inning runs to defeat Lewisville, winning the bracket and advancing to the Upper State tournament. The Hornets host Landrum in the first round on Saturday.
"We knew we didn't want to go to a second game," senior pitcher Carlyle Shirley said. "Momentum would have shifted back. We knew we had to win the first game."
Needing to defeat Dixie twice, Lewisville (14-9) was under pressure early.
Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the second, the Hornets put up six runs, capped by Derell Brownlee's two-run single, to take a 6-1 lead. The way Shirley was pitching, those runs proved to be more than enough.
After giving up nine runs in three innings against the Lions last week, Shirley was sharp in his second shot at the Lewisville lineup. In throwing a complete game, Shirley allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine.
"He wasn't on (Saturday)," Lions coach Billy Keels said. "He was on today. He had everything -- he had curveball, changeup."
However, he still found a trouble spot with a five-run lead in the top of the fifth. With two outs and no one on, rightfielder Troy Barnes dropped Morrell Wright's fly ball, and Shirley loaded the bases after a hit batsman and a walk.
But he got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout of Byron Grant and wasn't challenged from that point, allowing just two baserunners over the final two innings.
• LANDRUM 9, GREAT FALLS 3 -- At Landrum, Landrum pitcher Jared Corn didn't appear too rattled after Stiles Brunson lifted a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to give Great Falls an early lead.
He knew the game was too important to dwell on one pitch.
The senior bounced back strong and only surrendered one run the remainder of the way to lead the Cardinals to a home victory in the District II championship.
Corn tossed 107 pitches in a complete game, giving up five hits and striking out nine.
"I just had to throw strikes and get everything working," Corn said. "I just had to make the pitches and hope the defense would pick me up, and they did."
"Jared Corn has stepped up for us all season," Landrum coach Travis Henson said. "He's a senior at home in a district championship. His day was here and he made the most of it."
