6T4A5112
By Cory Woodroof

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

Sometimes it takes Summit a while to get going, but the Spartans usually find a way.

Tuesday was one of those days.

The Spartans rallied for four runs in the seventh inning for a 7-3 win over Science Hill in the first round of the Class AAA baseball tournament at Siegel.

‘‘We’re usually a late-start team where in the beginning we’re kind of real slow with the bats and we’re not really putting it out on the field,” Spartans shortstop Bricen Russell said. “But whenever it gets up to the end, it’s kind of like it’s just instant where all the bats just come alive.”

Summit (26-11) faces Farragut (39-3) in the second round at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Siegel.

Science Hill (27-13) plays Bartlett (31-13) in an elimination game at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Russell’s RBI single to left field started the Spartans’ rally.

Steven Smith followed with a two-run single that included two errors.

Brody McGill’s sacrifice bunt brought in the final run.

LSU commit Blake Money earned the win by striking out 10 and allowing five hits in seven innings.

“Same as always, he was in the strike zone and he competed the whole game and he had three pitches working for strikes,” Spartans coach Chad Kirby said. “When he’s on, he’s tough to deal with.”

Money said his breaking ball didn’t come along until the fifth inning.

“It was definitely a struggle in the middle innings,” Money said.  “I couldn’t find the strike zone the way I was the first couple of innings and they put bat on ball decently.”

Money topped out at 93 mph on his fastball according of one of the radar guns behind the plate early in the game.

Summit second baseman Colton Jordan prevented a run from scoring with a diving catch on a line drive in the third inning.

“Oh, he’s Superman,” Money said. “That was huge. I saw it hit and I was, like, ‘Oh, no.’ And the next thing I know he came out of nowhere and made the snag and that put the momentum on our side.”

Science Hill took a 2-0 lead in the second, but Summit answered with two in the third on an error by the Hilltoppers’ right fielder.

Science Hill retook a 3-2 lead in the fifth before Summit tied it at 3 in the sixth.

“We didn’t execute in several facets of the game and when you’re facing a guy like the pitcher we saw today with Money, you’re going to get beat,” Hilltoppers coach Ryan Edwards said. “You’re not going to score a lot of runs off of him. Credit them, they got some big hits. I think the momentum got on their side and he ran with it.”