The McCallie Blue Tornado baseball team will advance to the D-II AA state tournament final four after two close victories over Montgomery Bell Academy.
In the first game on Friday, McCallie finished on top with a 3-2 victory led by stout starting pitching from Grayson Jones and strong bullpen relief from Holden Shell and Carter Sides.
In the second game, which started Friday and finished on Saturday (due to rain on Friday), McCallie won 5-4.
Thundershowers interrupted game 2
Friday night with the score tied 4-4.
Play resumed
Saturday morning with MBA having runners on the corners and only one out in the top of the 5th inning. Kahler Youngblood took the mound in relief for McCallie and with a strikeout and ground ball to Blade Steelman at second, the fifth inning was quickly over.
McCallie soon loaded the bases in the bottom of the 5th for Dane Beard who singled into right to drive home what would become the winning run for the Blue Tornado. Youngblood retired the next 6 batters he faced in relief for McCallie for the win on the mound behind sharp defensive play from the infield.
McCallie advances to the D-II AA Spring Fling state tournament for the fifith straight year and plays MUS on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.