By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Terrell Brown saved the best for last on Thursday night.
The Gwatney Chevrolet shortstop belted a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Chevy boys beat Greenbrier 11-6 at Dupree Park.
Brown’s smack over the left-center wall allowed the junior Chevy boys to erase a 6-5 deficit to Greenbrier, which did all of its offensive damage in the first two frames.
Greenbrier took a 6-3 lead through two, and the game from there was a stalemate until the bottom of the fifth, when Gwatney made up two runs to pull within one.
Starting Greenbrier pitcher Chase Lear walked Kenny Cummins to start the bottom of the sixth, and an error on a grounder by Jared Toney brought on a pitching change.
Reliever Austin Anderson walked Jordan Gardner to load the bases. He did get a strikeout, but that brought Brown to the plate.
Brown’s shot cleared the wall by a few feet as Cummins, Toney and Gardner all rounded the bases in front of him. It was a dramatic play, but far from the end of Jacksonville’s assault in the sixth.
Matt McAnally then walked, and another infield error by Greenbrier allowed Patrick Castleberry to reach as McAnallycame around to make it 10-6.
Tommy Sanders kept the party going with a single, and Cummins brought in Castleberry with a base hit for the final score of the night.
The game was finally called for the hour-and-50 minute time limit.
McAnally took the win for Gwatney, going the six-inning distance. He struggled through his first two innings, as he gave up six runs on seven hits. But he was solid from the third inning on, recording four strikeouts while allowing only two hits.
Greenbrier struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but Gwatney responded. Brown doubled and scored on a single by McAnally, who was driven in by Castleberry. Castleberry’s single set up the final run of the frame, with a double by Sanders plating him for a 3-2 advantage after one.
The Panthers did their biggest damage in the second inning. They came away with four runs and four hits off McAnally, while taking advantage of one of three Gwatney errors on the night.
Sanders was 3 of 4 with a RBI. Brown was 2 of 3 with a home run and 4 RBI. McAnally was 2 of 3 with 2 RBI. For Greenbrier, Anderson was 2 of 4 with a RBI.
