AHSAA PLAYOFFS: Auburn High sweeps Smiths Station

Smiths Station junior Zach Helewski couldn’t have pitched much better with his team’s season on the line against Auburn High on Friday night.

The 6-foot-1 righty gave up two runs on four hits and struck out 11 over seven innings, overpowering Tigers hitters with his fastball.

But Auburn’s Drew Eiland was better.

The junior lefty gave up no runs on three hits and struck out six in the Tigers’ win in Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader, sending them on to the second round of the playoffs and sending the Panthers home in front of a home crowd at Sam Welborn Field.

“Every time he gets out there, he just does something different and more impressive each time,” Auburn coach Matt Cimo said.

The No. 7 Tigers (28-7) won Game 1, 10-0 in five innings, behind Scott Norrell, who pitched a complete-game shutout while allowing two hits, two walks and three hit batsmen.

“I didn’t do as much work as Scott Norrell did,” Eiland said. “He set the stage for it, took the pressure off me. So I wasn’t in position to end our season.”

Eiland managed to keep the Panthers (20-14) guessing with an array of off-speed pitches and took a no-hitter into the fourth inning.

And he was economical, too, throwing the complete game in only 83 pitches.

“I was just mixing up locations and changing speeds,” Eiland said. “Doing my best to keep them off-balance and make them put the ball on the ground and let my fielders work.”

Auburn got the eventual winning run in the second inning, when James Ponder came around on a Dalton Edwards double. The Tigers tacked on their second run in the sixth when Trey Gregg led off with a double, moved to third when Helewski mishandled a Chace Mitchell sacrifice bunt, then scored when Reid Carter grounded into a double play.

That’s about all the offense Auburn could muster against Helewski.

“From now on out, that’s the kind of pitching I think we’ll see,” Cimo said. “Guys that come on out and bring it.”

Cody Hussey was 2-for-2 for the Panthers in Game 2, and Kendell Brinson had their other hit.

Auburn used a seven-run third inning in Game 1 to blow the game open against Smiths Station starter Brandon Smith.

The inning featured six hits, three errors, a hit batsman and a balk.

“They helped us a little bit, they booted some balls around,” Cimo said. “And our kids just got some big hits and we put some pressure on them.”

Edwards capped off a perfect game from the plate with a bomb over the left-field wall to end the game by the 10-run rule with one out in the fifth. He was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in Game 1, to go along with his RBI double in Game 2.

Grant Massey was 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs in Game 1, while Gregg was 2-for-3 and Todd Thompson was 1-for-2 with two runs.

Hussey and Drew Ellis had the Panthers’ only hits.

Auburn, will host Benjamin Russell in the second round Friday.

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568

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