BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – After falling to Cascade (16-10, 4-4) to open the District 9-AA Tournament, the Community Vikings (18-15, 4-4) shocked the Champions in the rematch on Thursday, 6-5, in the final "Battle of Bedford" meeting of the season.

Leading 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Vikes’ starter Kaleb Maillet gave up a leadoff single to Xykaiah Dixon followed by a wild pitch that allowed Dixon to get into scoring position. Caleb Crouch then singled him home to trim the lead to 6-3, but Maillet then set down the next three batters in order to end the inning. 

In the seventh, Maillet started the inning with a strikeout of River Maddox, then gave up a single to pinch-hitter, freshman Daymian Maldonado, before the 9-hole hitter, Elijah Wesenberg, launched his first home run of the season to center, cutting the lead to just one run, 6-5, and flipping the lineup over in the process.

Jordan Childress worked a full-count walk, and Dixon did the same after Maillet reached his 120-pitch maximum in a 3-2 count. Maillet finished the night with 6.1 innings of work, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and three walks to go with five strikeouts. Isaiah Beech came on in relief, issuing the walk to Dixon on his first pitch with just one out. Beech settled down to get Caleb Crouch to ground out back to Beech, advancing the runners to second and third with two away. Wickey Parker, who hit a grand slam in Tuesday’s meeting, was intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing up Thomas Demartelaere. Demarteleaere went up there aggressively, swinging at the first pitch but ultimately grounding out to Maillet at third base to end the game and punch Community’s ticket to the Region Tournament.

Community opened the night with a 3-run first inning against Champions’ starter, Jordan Childress, thanks to a 3-run home run by Case Davis. Childress lasted just 1.0 innings, giving up three earned runs on three hits and one walk on 29 pitches.

The Champions managed to snatch back two of those runs in the home half thanks to a Parker RBI-double and a Hathcock RBI-single, but the Vikings responded by plating another run in the top of the second followed by two more runs in the top of the third to take a commanding 6-2 lead.

Dawson Youngblood came on to start the second inning, but he too only lasted 1.0+ innings, giving up three runs with two earned on two hits and two walks on 30 pitches. AJ Manus, who threw 23 pitches the previous night against Chapel Hill, came on in the third inning and got all the way to the finish line, throwing the final 5.0 innings and giving up zero runs with just one hit and two walks to go with seven strikeouts on 81 pitches. 

Community totaled six hits as a team along with five walks, as well as a pair of errors by Cascade. The hosts tallied seven hits and four walks, but the Vikings did not commit an error in the field. 

For the Vikings, Josh Powers went 1-4 with a double, Case Davis went 1-3 with the 3-run HR and a walk, and Elijah Westbrooks finished 1-3 with a walk. Maillet went 1-3 with an RBI and a walk, Dylan Markum finished 1-2 with an RBI, and Ryan Sharp went 1-3 with an RBI. 

For Cascade, Dixon finished 1-3 with a walk, Crouch went 2-4 with an RBI, and Parker went 1-3 with an RBI-double and a walk. Jayden Hathcock went 1-3 with an RBI, Maldonado went 1-2, and Wesenberg finished 1-3 with his 2-run HR. 

Community advances to the Region 5-AA Tournament, starting next Thursday, May 8, at Chapel Hill. 

Cascade’s season comes to a surprising end.