ANDREWS – The Andrews varsity baseball team continued its winning ways through the first two rounds of the 1A state playoffs.
The Wildcats got the No. 3 seed in the western region and hosted South Davidson in the first round. After defeating them, they advanced and hosted Robbinsville in the second round.
The Cats defeated the Knights for the third time this season to advance to the third round of the state playoffs.
1st round walk-off
With a two-run RBI hit, Kelby Waldroup sent the Wildcats to the second round. Andrews defeated South Davidson 16-6 on May 5 in the first round of the playoffs.
South Davidson – who are also the Wildcats – opened the game with a three- run top of the first inning to take an early lead. Andrews scratched back by driving in five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-3 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, South Davidson reclaimed the lead with three runs in the top of the second inning. After the other Wildcats had scored three runs, Andrews made a pitching change.
Brady Queen, who came straight from the golf course where he finished tied for third place at the 1A West Regional round, took over on the mound for Ethan Sutton. In the bottom of the third inning, Andrews took back its lead with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 8-6 lead.
Andrews then scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 12-6 lead. The Wildcats then held the South Davidson scoreless in the top of the fifth and looked to rally to end the game in the bottom of the inning.
Andrews drove in an early run to take a 13-6 lead. With the game-winning runs on base, Waldroup hit the ball through the gap for the walk-off two-run RBI hit to win the game.
Aiden Garrett led Andrews as he scored four runs. All three of Garrett’s hits were doubles. Logan Shuler and Logan Hyde scored three runs each, while Brady McLelland scored two runs in the win.
McLelland also had a team-leading four RBI. Garrett, Waldroup, Queen and Tanner Postell had two RBI each.
Shuler led the team in stolen bases with two. McLelland, Queen, Dawson Stalcup and Drew Dartez had one stolen base each.
On the mound, Sutton pitched 2.1 innings and gave up six runs, only three earned, on one hit and six walks. He also threw five strikeouts.
Queen pitched 2.2 hitless innings, allowing only one walk and striking out five.
The victory earned Andrews its 20th win of the season and a spot in the second round of the 1A state playoffs.
Cats conquer Knights
The Wildcats met a familiar foe in the second round as they hosted fellow Smoky Mountain Conference team Robbinsville on Friday. After their first two meetings were one-run wins by the Cats, they battled again with Andrews winning 6-4.
Hyde got the start on the mound and pitched three scoreless innings to start the game, allowing only two baserunners on balls. The Knights then got on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
Andrews wasn’t going to trail long as they drove in five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Postell hit a single and drove in two runs to give Andrews a 2-1 lead.
Then with two outs and two runners aboard, Dartez smashed a home run over the center field wall to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Postell hit an RBI single to score Kelby Waldroup to give the Cats a 6-1 lead.
After a hit and a walk, Queen took over on the mound for Wildcats in the top of the seventh inning. Robbinsville then made a late rally, putting three runs on the board to trail 6-4.
The Wildcats defense came up big to stop the rally and and secure the 6-4 victory.
The Wildcats advanced to face No. 2 seed Chatham Charter on the road Tuesday. The game was after the Cherokee Scout’s press deadline Tuesday, and the results will be in the May 20 edition of the paper.
This was the second time this year that Andrews and Robbinsville have met in the playoffs. The first was in the 1A West Regional round of girls basketball on March 5.