ETNA – It probably didn’t go quite the way the Etna Lion squad would have liked on Friday, but an ugly 6-3 win gets you the same place as a perfect 10-0 win—the next round. At the end of four full innings, the third-seeded Lions hadn’t allowed a hit, but were trailing 2-1 to a scrappy sixth-seeded Chester Volcano team. At no point in the game did it seem like the Lions had total control, but in the end the win is all that really matters.

Etna was first to have a runner in scoring position when Greg Monday led off the bottom of the first inning. But a strikeout and a pair of fly balls later, the threat was thwarted.

Chester’s Thomas Porter led off the top of the second with a walk. After a Volcano strikeout, Daniel Burt also took a free pass, and Porter moved to second base. Lion pitcher Clint Johnson then added two more “Ks” to make it three in the inning.

The Lions had their leadoff hitter at second for the second inning in a row, when Trevor Kendrick doubled. This time, Etna capitalized when Kendrick moved to third on a Taylor Pehle-Munson 4-3 ground out, and then scored on a sac-fly by Trevor Eastlick, giving Etna a 1-0 lead after two.

The top of the third turned out to be an inning the Lions would probably like to forget, and one that gave the Volcanoes hope for the upset. After the Chester leadoff batter went down looking, Danny Harrison was hit by a pitch. Julio Rodriguez then reached on an error and went to second, while Harrison advanced all the way to third base. Harrison scored, when Matt Burt reached on a strikeout-passed ball. Rodrigueaz moved to third on the play. Rodriguez scored when Etna’s catcher Kendrick threw out Burt attempting to steal second. After Porter took a walk, Johnson fanned the next batter to end the top of the inning, with Chester up 2-1.

Again, the Lions’ lead off hitter reached base in the bottom of the third, when Seth Jordan beat out an infield hit. Jordan moved to second on a steal. With two out, Logan Dysert doubled to drive in Jordan and tie the game 2-2. Next, Johnson helped his own cause when he hammered a two-run dinger to center field, putting the Lions up 4-2, after three innings.

Chester went down in order in the top of the fourth. Trevor Eastlick led off the bottom half with a single, and stole second base. Clint Eastlick reached on a strikeout-passed ball and T. Eastlick moved to third base on the play. T. Eastlick scored on a Skyler Schneider single, making it 5-2.

The Volcanoes did not score in the fifth. Etna had runners at second and third with one out, but failed to plate them.

In the top of the sixth, Porter led off with a double and moved to third on a base hit by Tucker Gans. Porter scored for Chester on an errant pickoff attempt by the Lions’ catcher, to close the gap to 5-3.

Etna got its leadoff hitter on for the sixth straight inning, when Hank Johnson applied just the right amount of English to beat out an infield hit. Schneider followed with a single and H. Johnson moved to second. H. Johnson was erased when Monday hit into a double play. Schneider moved to second on the play. An infield hit by Jordan Pehle-Munson moved Schneider to third. Schneider then scored on a double-steal play, to make it 6-3, going into the seventh.

Needing at least three runs to keep playing, the Volcanoes put their leadoff hitter on, when Brandon Durkin singled. Harrison reached on a fielder’s choice, and Durkin headed for the bench. After Johnson fanned the next batter, Burt singled to keep flame flickering. A ball hit by Porter took a wicked bounce, but Etna second baseman Monday was able to corral it, and throw to first base for the final out. The final score was Etna 6 – Chester 3.

Offensively Johnson had the big blow for Etna, with a 2-run homer, while going 1-3 with a steal. Dysert went 2-4, with a run, an RBI, and a double. Trevor Eastlick was 1-3, with a run, a steal, and a sac-fly RBI. Schneider went 2-2, with a run, an RBI, and a steal. Kendrick had a double, took a walk, was beaned, scored a run, stole a base, and got really dirty. Jordan was 1-1, with a run and a steal.

Johnson recorded 13 strikeouts in the complete game win (7IP, 3R, 5H, 3BB, HB).

For the Volcanoes, Porter was 1-2, with a run, a double, and two walks. Harrison went 1-3, with a run, and was hit by a pitch. Porter started and took the loss for Chester (4IP, 5R, 7H, BB, 3K). Burt pitched the fifth and sixth innings (R, 4H, 0BB, HB, K).

Chester ends the season 13-9. Etna improves to 20-11, and moves to the second round of the NSCIF D-IV playoffs. The Lions will play the winner of second-seeded Delta (14-5-1) and seventh-seeded Portola (14-10-1).