Josh Gregg was the hero on Saturday, as his walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Tristan Sulser, lifting the Chelsea High School baseball team to a 2-1 victory over Northview in the decisive Game 3 in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The win came after Chelsea tied the game in the seventh inning after the Hornets were down 1-0 and down to their final out.
The two teams split the first two games of the series on Friday, with Chelsea winning Game 1, 9-2, and Northview coming away with a 2-1 win in Game 2.
With the series win, the Hornets will host Benjamin Russell on Friday, April 28, in a second round series. A doubleheader is set to begin at 5 p.m., with an if-necessary game set for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Game 1: Chelsea 9, Northview 2
In the first game, Chelsea jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning and kept its foot on the gas pedal until it had a 9-0 lead after five innings.
Nolan Forehand and Will Hayes each had three RBIs in the game, as Forehand contributed a two-run single in the second and Hayes duplicated the feat in the third to push Chelsea's lead to 5-0.
Gregg, William Root and Forehand picked up two hits apiece.
Sam Towery got the win on the mound, as he went six strong innings, giving up two runs on seven hits before Cameron Gage pitched a perfect seventh.
Game 2: Northview 2, Chelsea 1
Game 2 was a pitchers' duel, as neither team scratched a run across until the sixth inning. A two-run home run proved enough for Northview, as it held on to split the first two games of the series.
After the home run, the Hornets managed to score a run in the bottom half of the sixth inning, as Jacob Burback's single brought home Sulser.
Riley Watkins was great on the mound for the Hornets aside from the homer, as he went six innings and allowed just four hits, while striking out seven. Connor Burnett pitched a scoreless seventh.
Game 3: Chelsea 2, Northview 1 (F/9)
A solo home run in the third inning almost stood up for Northview in the third game, as the 1-0 margin held until the bottom of the seventh inning, with Chelsea down to its last out.
Scott Arnold led off the seventh with a double, and came around to score when Clay DeWeese reached on an error, tying the game at 1-1.
Sulser and DeWeese began a two-out rally in the ninth with back-to-back walks, and Gregg's single sent the Hornets back home with a playoff victory under their belt.
Emmitt Hudspeath and Cameron Gage combined to throw the first three innings for Chelsea, with Burnett shutting down Northview for the final six innings.