HobbsDailyReport.com
For complete scores and pairings from the Area IV Legion playoffs, see an earlier Saturday post on the website.
TAYLORSVILLE – Tanner Waddell made sure Taylorsville Post 170 would live to play another Area IV American Legion baseball playoff game this season.
Waddell threw eight innings on Saturday night at Alexander Central High, leading Post 170 past visiting Shelby 5-3 and keeping a best-of-5 series going.
Waddell played high school baseball at Wilkes Central.
West No. 2 seed Taylorsville (17-5-1) meets East No. 3 seed Shelby (18-6) at 7 p.m. on Sunday for Game 4 at Shelby High.
If Shelby wins, the quarterfinal series is over. If Taylorsville wins, Game 5 will be played Monday in Taylorsville (7 p.m.).
The series winner advances to a best-of-5 semifinal series against East No. 1 Union County, which completed a three-game sweep of West No. 4 Asheville by winning 7-6 in 11 innings on Saturday night at Marvin Ridge High.
Shelby was in position to sweep Taylorsville after winning the first two games in the series, but Waddell and two relievers stepped up to keep Post 170 alive.
Waddell gave up seven hits, two runs (both earned), walked five and struck out four before giving way to Tyler Campbell, who got an out but gave up a run. Trae Starnes then got the final two outs, both via strikeout, to collect his first save of the season.
Matt Wilkinson and Daniel Dessecker led Taylorsville’s nine-hit attack with two each. R.J. Conner, Rhyne Johnson, Wilkinson, Grayson Chapman and Josh Hubbard each drove in a run for Post 170.
Shelby had eight hits — including two by Logan McNeely and Ben Ledbetter — and those two and Carson Gettys each drove in a run. Lawson Harrill, batting leadoff for Shelby, walked twice and scored three runs.
Alexander Central didn’t trail again after it wiped out Shelby’s 1-0 lead through one inning with two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
It was 4-1 through four innings after Taylorsville added a run in the third inning and another in the fourth inning.
Shelby pulled within 4-2 with a run in the fifth before Taylorsville got that run back in the sixth, making it 5-2. Shelby scored its final run in the ninth inning.
Jacob Carter threw seven innings for Shelby, taking the loss after giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned). He struck out seven and walked three.
In the other quarterfinal series on Saturday:
- After scoring five runs in the ninth inning to tie it, East No. 1 seed Union County beat Asheville 7-6 in 11 innings to close that best-of-5 series and advance with three straight wins. Union County will play the Shelby-Taylorsville series winner in the semifinals, scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
- The third game in the Gastonia versus Cherryville series, at Cherryville High, was postponed by rain. Game 3 is now at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Cherryville. Cherryville can end the best-of-5 series by winning Sunday.
- The third game in the Mint Hill versus Gaston Braves series, scheduled at Belmont Abbey Yard on Saturday, was rained out. It will be played Sunday at 7 p.m. at Belmont Abbey College. The best-of-5 series is even 1-1.