HARRISON -- Farmington's 4-1 win over Huntsville in Friday's 4A North Regional played out almost like a mirror image of the Cardinals' 4-3 district semifinal victory a week earlier.
Ethan Hodge earned the win. He struck out six in 6.2 innings while allowing one run.
"Our kids did really good. Ethan Hodge is a senior that just gets people out. He did a great job. He gave up a home run, but other than that he never got in very much trouble. [He stayed] very calm and collected. I can't say enough about him," said Farmington coach Jay Harper.
Farmington needed nine innings to beat Huntsville in the district tournament, winning on a run walked in when Huntsville hit a batter with the bases loaded.
That game was tied in the early innings like Friday's Regional semifinal when Huntsville senior third baseman Slayter Watkins knocked a solo home run out of the park putting the Eagles up 1-0 in the top of the third.
Farmington answered pushing a run across in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, 1-1. Myles Harvey led off with a double into center field and Tate Sutton plated him by smashing a double into the left corner.
Farmington broke the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. Chase Brown walked on four straight pitches and moved to third in Trey Hill's double into left center. Huntsville starter Luke Eaton beaned Michael White loading the bases and was replaced by reliever Kolton Reynolds.
The Eagles got into trouble when they went to the bullpen much like the district semifinal. Reynolds issued a walk to Weston Sills bringing in the go-ahead run. Watkins came to the mound facing a tough situation and walked in a run with Kyson Bridges getting a free pass. Farmington led 3-1 before Watkins got the Eagles out of the inning by inducing a fly ball.
The Cardinals added an insurance run on Hill's single in the sixth to up their lead to 4-1. Hodge got the first two batters out in the seventh before surrendering a single and issuing a walk. Harper pulled him and inserted Caden Elsik, who after Watkins reached on an error to load the bases, calmly struck out Eaton to end the game.
"Elsik came in and closed the door at the end. We need to be in ball games like that because we're going to be in ball games like that here in another week or so," Harper said.
"We didn't hit it all that well, but we produced runs. We did enough to get the job done and that's a quality baseball team. Coach Harris does a great job and that's someone that's going to beat somebody in the state tournament, but we were very fortunate to get the win and we're happy with it."
4A North Regional Baseball
May 7, 2021
At Harrison
Farmington 4, Huntsville 1
Huntsville^001^000^0^--^1^5^1
Farmington^001^021^x^--^4^6^0
W -- Hodge, L -- Eaton.