LEGION BASEBALL: Shelby wins at home, goes up 2 games on Taylorsville

HobbsDailyReport.com

For complete scores from all the second round series and pairings for the next rounds, see an earlier post on the website.

Carson Gettys drove in three runs and Dylan Izzi checked visiting Taylorsville on five hits over seven innings on Friday night as Shelby won 9-4 to open a two games-to-none lead in a best-of-5 Area IV American Legion baseball series.

Shelby (18-5), the East No. 3 seed, can eliminate West No. 2 Taylorsville (16-5-1) by winning one more game. The first opportunity comes Saturday at 7 p.m. at Alexander Central High. Game 4, if needed, is scheduled Sunday night at Shelby High and Game 5 would be Monday night in Taylorsville, if needed.

Shelby outhit Taylorsville 11-8 with Logan McNeely, Gettys and Caleb Plummer each posting two hits, plus Riley Cash drove in two runs.

Trae Starnes, hitting fifth in the order, went 3-for-4 for Post 170 and Tyler Campbell added two hits and drove in a run. Jeremy Hubbard had the other Taylorsville RBI.

Izzi threw seven innings, allowing five hits, a run (earned) with two walks and five strikeouts for Shelby. Austin Shull and McNeely each pitched an inning to close the game.

Taylorsville starter Grant Strader (0-1) took the loss, going six innings. He allowed five hits, four runs (three earned), walked five and struck out four.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when Shelby scored a run. A two-run fifth inning put Shelby up 3-0.

After Taylorsville scored a run in the top of the seventh, Shelby got four runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 7-1.

There were five errors in the game, three by Shelby and two by Post 170.

In the three other best-of-5 series on Friday:

Cherryville 6, Gastonia 2: West No. 1 Cherryville won at home on Friday night, going up two games to none, and Game 3 is scheduled on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Cherryville High.

Union County 12, Asheville 6: East No. 1 Union County is up two games to none after a win on the road on Friday night. Game 3 is Saturday at 7 p.m. at Marvin Ridge High.

Gaston Braves 15, Mint Hill 4: The Braves, the East No. 2 seed, are tied at one game each with East No. 6 Mint Hill after Friday’s win at Independence High. Game 3 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Belmont Abbey Yard.