Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Helena Huskies used some extra-inning heroics on Wednesday, April 9 to set up a must-win game for a trip to the playoffs on Thursday, April 10 against the Spain Park Jaguars.

On the road in the final game of the regular season with everything on the line, Helena stepped up to the plate and delivered, eclipsing the double-digit mark on offense to finish off the sweep.

The Huskies defeated the Jags 10-3 on Thursday, April 10 at Spain Park High School after earning a 4-3 ninth-inning win on Wednesday, April 9 at Helena High School.

With the wins, Helena finishes the regular season 18-13 and books a first-round road trip to another set of Jags from Northridge. That playoff series will take place on April 18 and 19 at Northridge High School.

The first game of the series was delayed a day to Wednesday, but that wasn’t the only bit of drama from the series opener.

Spain Park got off to a flying start, earning a lead-off walk and a Rhys Jones single to start the first before both runners reached scoring position on a Connor Greb sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Evan Taylor plated both runners with a two-run double to take a 2-0 lead.

Helena couldn’t get on the scoreboard until the bottom of the third when a lead-off Jarret Scott double followed by a Nick Peters walk set up an RBI double from Lane Harris, halving the deficit to 2-1.

While the fourth inning came and went without a run, the Jags weren’t so lucky in the bottom of the fifth as control issues led to a trio of free base runners for Helena, including a hit batter with the bases loaded to tie the game at 2-2.

That score line held through the end of the seventh inning to force extra innings, and a scoreless eighth extended the game.

Spain Park got a runner aboard in the top of the ninth when Helena dispatched a lead-off walk but didn’t get the out at first. Two batters later, Arnold Bush advanced to second on a wild pitch, and an infield error shortly after that brought him home.

That gave the Jags a 4-3 lead and put the Huskies on their back heels.

Spain Park opened up the door with one out in the bottom of the inning as three-straight batters were hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Hudson Campbell then stepped up and sent a line drive to center for an RBI single to seal the 4-3 win.

Brayden Dockery went 8.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, working around two earned runs, three total runs, three hits and four walks.

Scott went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run while Brett Cannon was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run as well.

In the second game of the series, Helena took the lead in the top of the first, using three free base runners in the first four batters of the game to set up a Harris sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.

After a one-two-three bottom of the inning, a Campbell double and Jonathan Roberto bunt single put two on in the top of the second for Nate Jones. He ripped a line drive to center for an RBI single to double up the lead.

While a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat was unsuccessful, Scott hit an RBI double to plate one run before the second got out at home. Nevertheless, the Huskies ended the second with a 3-0 lead.

Spain Park started off the home half of the second with a Joe Cross double before Nash Davis got the hosts on the board with an RBI single.

The Jags trailed just 3-1 through the entire scoreless third before two walks to start the fourth put Helena in business. Two batters later, Braydon Kendrick made it a 4-1 lead with an RBI single, and Campbell put Helena in front 5-1 soon after with a bases-loaded walk.

Jones started out the fifth with a triple to right on the first pitch, and he came home off a passed ball for the 6-1 lead.

The Jags got a couple of runs back in the bottom of the fifth after getting hit by pitches twice to start the half-inning and advancing both runners to scoring position on a sacrifice fly. Jones helped those runners get home with a two-out RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-3.

However, that was as close as Spain Park would get down the stretch.

With one on and two out in the top of the sixth, Roberto extended the inning with a single and stole second to set up a two-run single from Jones, extending the lead to 8-3.

Helena then finished off the win in emphatic fashion in the top of the seventh, following up a Peters double with a Kendrick two-run home run to cap the 10-3 victory and punch a ticket to the playoffs.

Spain Park finishes the year at 15-15 and will miss the playoffs in their first year back in Class 6A after posting a 3-3 area record.