Hornets rebound in doubleheader to force high-stakes rubber match

CHELSEA -- Survive and advance is a common mantra in postseason baseball. The Chelsea High School baseball team has taken it to heart.

On Friday, the Hornets survived. On Saturday, they will attempt to advance. 

Chelsea (26-13) rebounded from a demoralizing 8-7 loss in Game One of Friday night's doubleheader against Benjamin Russell with a season-saving 8-4 victory in Game Two. The Hornets' resilient performance means a third game will be contested Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A state playoffs. The loser goes home. 

"We made some big mistakes in that first game," Chelsea head coach Michael Stallings said. "When you make those mistakes in this caliber of a game, it hurts you and it's hard to recover. But we found a way to bounce back and play well in Game Two."

This is the second straight week that Chelsea's season will come down to a decisive third game. The Hornets needed a rubber match last Saturday to knock off Northview in the first round of the playoffs. 

Game One

Chelsea scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to shatter a 3-3 stalemate, but the Hornets couldn't preserve their lead.  Benjamin Russell plated five unanswered runs over the final two innings to steal an 8-7 victory. 

It came down to the wire. 

The Wildcats' Timmy Lawson scored the winning run in the top of the seventh on a Brett Pitts' single. In the previous at-bat, Lawson drilled a two-out double to the left-center field fence. 

Chelsea nearly responded in the bottom of the frame, but Benjamin Russell's Nic McGhee made a sprawling catch in deep left field to rob Will Hayes of a sure double. The Wildcats' Brock Elliot closed the door with a game-ending strikeout.  

"We made a couple of mistakes, and they capitalized on them," Stallings said. 

Jacob Burback and William Root tallied two hits apiece in the Hornets' loss. Both produced RBIs in the team's four-run fifth inning on hard-hit ground balls that bounced between shortstop and third base. Burback and Scott Arnold each drove in two runs for Chelsea. Tristan Sulser cranked a solo home run in the first inning. 

Collectively, the teams combined for 26 hits.

Game Two

Chelsea exploded for six runs in the top of the fifth inning, and it didn't look back. The Hornets tacked on two more runs in the final two frames to extend their season with an 8-4 triumph. 

"Our offense has been doing a very good job production wise for us," Stallings said.

Chelsea fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth before coming alive in the next half inning. Root, who went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, scored the tying run on a Benjamin Russell error. Root stole third base and then scurried across home plate after the throw from the catcher to the third baseman bounded into left field. 

Arnold belted a run-scoring triple to right-center field on the following at-bat. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in Game Two, continuing his impactful night. 

"We had some big hits from No. 11 tonight, Scott Arnold," Stallings said. "He's come on pretty good here in the playoffs."

Arnold eventually scored on a fielding error to give his team a 3-1 edge. Josh Gregg, Burback and Riley Watkins drove in three additional runs during the pivotal inning. 

Watkins produced on the mound, too. The Hornets' starting pitcher surrendered only five hits and three runs over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six batters. 

"We got a great pitching performance from Riley," Stallings said. "He's been really solid for us, and he's really come on here in the latter part of the season."

Gregg and Connor Burnett finished what Watkins began. The duo pitched the final 2 2/3 innings and limited the Wildcats to a single run. 

Stallings said he will start Emmitt Hudspeath, a southpaw, in Saturday's rubber match. 

"Benjamin Russell's got a great program," Stallings said. "They're solid. They don't back off. They just keep coming, and he's going to have to pitch well."