The Indians made a late comeback, then held on in a thrilling 6-4 finish at Pepperell on Tuesday in a winner-take-all game three. #4-ranked TFS advances to its first-ever Elite 8 after holding off #4 Pepperell.
Starting pitcher Caden Walker pitched well, going 4.2 innings while striking out two against four hits, three walks, and two earned runs. The Indians backed him with a run in the second on a BJ Carver sacrifice bunt. The Dragons got a pair off Walker in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.
Tallulah Falls responded with a David Dutary RBI double to score Zaiden Cox in the top of the fifth. That tied the game, but Chris Waldron got the eventual game-winner on a single to center that plated Dutary. Walker gave way to Andrew Skvarka, who worked out of a jam when he came in in the fifth. Ashton Roache got on by a fielder’s choice in the sixth, and caused plenty of havoc. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an error to push TFS up to 4-2.
Skvarka worked around a pair of hits in the home half to maintain the lead. TFS got insurance when Dutary had another RBI double, this time scoring Walker. Danny Grant then singled to bring in Wyatt Franks for a 6-2 lead.
Pepperell wouldn’t go quietly. The Dragons led off the final frame with a groundout, but the next batter singled. Skvarka induced a fielder’s choice groundout for the second out, but a hit by pitch and walk suddenly loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate. A line drive single brought two in, but a third was thrown out trying for home. The result was a 6-4 final score to send TFS to the next round.
TFS was opportunistic with only five hits and four walks, turning that into six runs. Dutary had two hits and two RBI. Walker took the win on the mound, while Skvarka earned the save.
W: Caden Walker (3-3)
S: Andrew Skvarka (2)
RBI: 2 David Dutary, Danny Grant, Chris Waldron, BJ Carver
