Spartans
By David Walsh

STORY BY CHIP CIRILLO | PHOTO BY CARL EDMONDSON, JR.

Chris McElvain brought the heat and Tre Hunter brought the RBIs.

McElvain, a Vanderbilt signee whose fastball was clocked at 91 mph by one of the radar guns behind the plate, struck out 10 in a three-hitter that led Summit to a 3-1 win over visiting Hendersonville in a Class AAA Sectional on Friday night.

Hunter, inserted into the lineup this week after Summit’s center fielder suffered an injury, drove in all the Spartans’ runs in front of a full house.

“It feels amazing,” McElvain said. “We’ve been working since August as a team for this opportunity right here. We come in at 5 o’clock every morning. I mean, we’ve just been busting it all year.”

Summit (24-11) earned its first state tournament appearance since 2016 when McElvain was a freshman. The Spartans’ first game will be Tuesday in Murfreesboro.

Independence (25-11), the District 11-AAA Tournament champion, also earned a trip to Spring Fling with a 1-0 win at Station Camp. The Eagles have shut out three of their last four opponents.

After the final out Summit’s players ran out of the dugout, threw their gloves high in the air and celebrated in a dogpile on the infield grass.

“That’s what we coach for,” Spartans coach Chad Kirby said of the return to state. “I mean, this is why we get up early in the morning and come lift and spend time away from our families. It’s awesome.”

McElvain walked only one batter in seven innings and didn’t allow any earned runs.

Hunter came through with a two-run single to right field in the fourth and added a suicide squeeze bunt in the sixth.

“It feels pretty great, but it’s all about the team,” said Hunter, the designated hitter. “Luckily, I got a couple of at-bats this week and I just wanted to show out what I can do.”

McElvain (7-1) suffered a season-ending loss on the mound in Summit’s last sectional appearance against Beech in 2017, but things went much better for him two years later as a senior.

“Everything was working good tonight,” McElvain said. “I didn’t have command of my changeup as much, but my fastball and curveball were on tonight.”

Hendersonville (19-17) took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the third.

Luke McClendon, the No. 9 hitter in the order, reached base on an infield throwing error and Hayden Lane drove him in with a two-out double off the fence in left-center field.

Summit loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third, but reliever Eli Steffy escaped the jam by retiring LSU commit Blake Money on a called third strike and Alex Runk on a fly out to left field.

Hunter’s two-run single rallied the Spartans to a 2-1 lead in the fourth and his suicide squeeze increased their advantage to 3-1 in the sixth.

Auburn signee Hayden Mullins opened the seventh with a single for the Commandos, but McElvain fanned the next two batters and the game ended with a pop out to first base.

“Obviously, with his velocity his fastball is going to be good, but (Chris) keeps everybody off-balance with that slider,” Kirby said. “Both of them are plus pitches. He’s going to Vanderbilt for a reason.”

Hendersonville starter Cameron Hansen (arm), a Tennessee signee, and Mullins (elbow) have both been hampered by injuries this season.

“(Mullins) was going to be a first-round draft choice,” said Commandos coach Mike Hendrix, who has over 600 career wins in 30 seasons. “He bummed his elbow in the shower and got a deep bruise. He hasn’t pitched much at all.”

Mullins said the movement on McElvain’s pitches made him tough to hit.

“Everything of his moves,” Mullins said. “His curveball is amazing, he throws hard and he locates.”

Summit’s Colton Jordan bot hit by a pitch in the batting helmet in the sixth and fell to the ground for several minutes, but remained in the game.