The No. 14 seed Minden Crimson Tide are one victory away from pulling off an upset in the second round of the non-select Division II playoffs.
Minden defeated No. 3 Brusly 4-2 in Game 1 of their best-of-3 series Friday night at Brusly.
The Tide (24-9) will go for the sweep in Game 2 scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. If Brusly (23-7) wins, Game 3 will follow.
Behind a strong performance from starter Zander Rowell, Minden led 2-0 after six innings. The Tide added two runs in the top of the seventh.
Brusly didn’t go quietly, though. The Panthers scored two runs to cut the lead in half.
With one out and a runner at second, shortstop Bryson Ranger caught a line drive and turned an unassisted double play after the runner left the base.
Rowell went six innings. He allowed five hits, struck out three and walked two.
Landon Brewer replaced Rowell in the seventh with runners at first second and no outs.
He struck out the first batter he faced. Brusly then scored the two runs on an error and passed ball.
But Brewer induced the line drive that resulted in the double play.
After two scoreless innings, Minden got on the board in the top of the third.
Jakobe Jackson tripled with one out and scored on a groundout by Brewer.
The Tide made it 2-0 in the fifth. Brewer, Brody Bower and Landyn Huddleston had consecutive two-out singles.
Bower led off the seventh with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ranger and third on a single by Landyn Huddleston.
Bower then stole home, and Huddleston advanced to third on an error. After Hudson Brown drew a walk, Jaxon Smith brought Huddleston home with a sacrifice fly.
Minden had nine hits. Bower went 3-for-4. Huddleston went 2-for-4. Brown drew a pair of walks.