BASEBALL: Falcons make hits count in Regional win over Steeleville
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Elverado had just four hits against Steeleville in Monday's first-round Regional matchup, but the Falcons made every one of them count, sending the Warriors home 6-5 for their first baseball postseason victory since 2005.
Brian McClanahan tied the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, allowing Eli Fennell to bring in the go-ahead run (Troy Stewart) when he reached on an error three batters later.
"Brian really got a big hit, a double that maybe lifted an elephant off of our shoulders a little bit," said EHS head baseball coach Tim Davis. "Eli has been coming through really about the last two weeks with big hits, picking up a lot of RBIs."
Fennell also picked up the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs on ten hits, walking two and fanning nine.
"He did a great job (on the mound)," Davis said. "The first inning, erase that, and he pitched outstanding."
Steeleville put together three consecutive two-out singles in the top of the first to go up 1-0, then an error allowed the inning to continue and the Warriors jumped ahead 4-0.
Bryce Mathis walked and later scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first for the Falcons' first run, then reached on an error in the third before scoring to make it 4-2.
Stewart led off the fourth with a single, then Fennell drove him in with a base hit to chip away at the lead.
Wade Bowlin walked with one down in the fifth, then McClanahan blasted a two-out double to the fence in left center to tie it. Stewart and Dalton Porter followed with walks, then Fennell looped one to right that the defense couldn't come up with. McClanahan and Stewart would score and the Falcons led 6-4.
Fennell allowed a pair of hits and a run in the top of the sixth, but got the big strikeout when he needed it to escape a jam.
Mathis (1-4, 2B, 2 R), McClanahan (1-2, 2B, HBP, R, RBI), Stewart (1-1, 2 BB, 2 R) and Fennell (1-3, RBI) had Elverado's hits.
The game, held in Dowell, drew the Falcons' largest home crowd of the season - a testament to the turnaround the squad has made after winning just one game in 2011.
"We talked to the boys about it, the more you win now, the more the community is going to support you and come out and watch you," said Davis. "I've been very proud of our community and our fans. It's going to be interesting to see how many show up on Wednesday (at Trico), but we're looking for to it."
The Falcons (14-16) will meet Woodlawn at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Trico High School in the 1A Regional semifinals. The winner advances to Saturday's 11:00 a.m. championship.
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