As Brookland–Cayce outfielder Tanner Petrey stepped to the plate, there were already two outs and his teammate Zac McLaurin was standing on first. It looked like it was the start of an epic game between two good pitchers. The Bearcats’ Chase Shelton had faced four batters in the top half of the inning and only given up one hit while striking one out. However, Petrey singled moving McLaurin to second and began what would become a six run first inning for the Bearcats. The inning set the stage for a 10–0 rout of the Darlington Falcons in five innings advancing Brookland– Cayce in the winner’s bracket of the 3A tournament.

“You get two outs, and we have a mentality that we don’t want to be the last out. No one wants to make that last out of the inning. Hitting is contagious. You get a couple of hits, and then everyone thinks they can go up there and get a hit. I think they fed off that,” Brookland– Cayce head coach Brian Hucks said.

The six runs in the first inning were more than enough offense for Shelton, who had another typical outing allowing no runs and one hit in four innings of work.

“He’s been great all year. He’s 8–0 with a 1.2 era. He’s steadily getting better. With him and (Michael) Gilroy, we feel pretty good about ourselves,” Hucks said, “To put up a six run spot with Chase on the mound, you can feel relaxed and good about yourself. We find a way to finish when we need to finish.”

The Bearcats put up one run in the second inning, two in the third, and one in the fourth to pull away and allow the stellar pitching to make it a short game. John Long led Brookland– Cayce driving in three of the ten runs.

While the game may not have had a close outcome, Hucks didn’t downplay the importance of getting that first playoff win.

“To make a run you’ve got to win the first two games. If you win the first two games then you get a bye, and someone has to come back and beat you twice; the first two are so important. It’s a huge win.”

The Bearcats defeated the Dreher Blue Devils 4–2 Saturday. The Blue Devils stayed alive with a win against Darlington Monday night, and will face Brookland– Cayce again Wednesday, May 5 to determine the Class 3A District VI champion. The Blue Devils must beat the Bearcats twice to advance to the Lower State championship bracket that starts play Saturday, May 8.

A.C. Flora plays Blue Ridge Wednesday, May 5 in an elimination game for the right to face Chapin in the District IV final Thursday, May 6.