Grainger slips by Cherokee

RUTLEDGE — The Grainger Grizzlies scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk off with a 3-2 win over Cherokee on Tuesday night in a competitive District 2-3A baseball battle.

Bralynn Sell singled in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to break the 2-2 tie in a late-game pitching duel between Grainger’s Cadon Cameron and Cherokee’s Keaton Lawson.

Cameron, who came on in relief, earned the win by holding the Chiefs without a hit or a run in the final two innings. He struck out three. Starter Brayden Christian started for the Grizzlies and gave up two runs on five hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts in five innings.

Lawson went the distance for Cherokee and gave up 11 hits with four walks and nine strikeouts.

Manning Brooks tripled after a six-pitch at-bat to put the Chiefs on the board in the top of the first. Parker Travis and Cole Putnal, who both singled to get on, scored on the play to put Cherokee up 2-0. Grainger got one back in the bottom of the first when Kade Lucas doubled and came around to score on a single by Christian. Back-to-back singles by Jaxon Maxey and Ty Collins tied the score at 2-2.

That’s where it stood until the bottom of the seventh when Christian and Collins singled to set the stage for Sell, who punched a line drive to right field to plate the winning run.

The Chiefs (16-11, 6-5) travel to Volunteer (13-12, 6-5) on Thursday (April 25) for a District 2-3A showdown that could determine the No. 2 seed in next week’s tournament. Grainger, which has four conference losses and hosts Greeneville on Thursday, is also still in the mix. Cherokee will close out the regular season with trips to Daniel Boone on Friday (April 26) and D-B on Saturday (April 27).

The District 2-3A tournament will be played May 1-4 at Tusculum’s Pioneer Park.