By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

REMLAP – The Westminster School at Oak Mountain Knights swept a doubleheader against the Southeastern Mustangs on Friday, April 18, as Westminster won game one 9-7 and game two 11-1 to advance in the Class 2A baseball playoffs.

Game one was a thriller, with the Knights using a timely and potent offense to eke out a two-run victory.

Tucker Bradberry got the offensive party started for Westminster, hitting a hard ground-ball single to left field in the top of the first that brought in a run.

The game remained locked at 1-0 until the top of the third, when Hughston Nichols brought in two runs on a single to make it 3-0.

Southeastern responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning, taking a 5-3 lead. The Mustangs scored runs on four straight at-bats, wearing down the Knights with small ball.

Westminster punched back in the top of the fourth, scoring six runs to take a 9-5 lead. Deacon Brown reached on an error that cut the lead to 5-4 in the beginning of the inning, and David Sellers followed that up with an RBI single that brought in Brown.

Nichols hit a fly ball to center field that found grass, plating another run and making it 7-5. A throwing error by Southeastern off a George Henry ground ball made it 9-5, ending the Knights’ offensive explosion.

The Mustangs scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to bring the game back to a two-run Westminster lead, but Bradberry slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh in a relief appearance to deliver the Knights the victory.

The next game was much less of a barn-burner than game one, with Bradberry continuing his dominance on the mound to propel Westminster to a 10-run victory.

Bradberry pitched six innings of one-run ball, throwing 11 strikeouts and one walk. The senior’s performances in both games were more than enough to keep the Knights’ playoff hopes alive.

Sellers hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first to put Westminster up 1-0, and Coleridge Ervin reached on an error in the next inning to make it 2-0.

Southeastern scored a run in the top of the third to keep the game close, but the Knights then scored nine unanswered throughout the rest of the game to clinch the victory.

Westminster now advances in the Class 2A playoffs, looking to keep its playoff run going when it takes on the Mars Hill Bible Panthers on the road in round two.