**Hayesville Tops Mountain Island Charter in Round Two of the Playoffs**
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets kept their playoff hopes alive Friday night with a solid 8-4 win over the Mountain Island Charter Raptors in the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs.
The Raptors struck first in the third inning, putting up three runs off a two-run single by Liam Berger and a groundout RBI by Hudson Whited.
But Hayesville didn’t stay down long. In the bottom half of the inning, Ben Bethel knocked in a run with a groundout, followed by RBI singles from Jackson Sellers and Kyle Shaheen to even things up at 3-3.
Mountain Island briefly pulled ahead in the fifth with an RBI double from Brody Thomas, but the Jackets had other plans.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hayesville exploded for five runs—turning the game on its head. The big moment came on a costly Raptors error that brought in three runs. When the dust settled, Hayesville was up 8-4 and didn’t look back.
Kendall Boyer got the start on the mound for the Jackets and went five and two-thirds innings, giving up four unearned runs on just three hits while striking out eight. Tate Roberts came in to close it out with a clean one and a third innings, not allowing a hit and punching out two.
Offensively, Ben Bethel drove in two runs, going 1-for-3. Michael Mauney had a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-3 and swiping two bases. The Jackets were aggressive on the basepaths all game, racking up four stolen bags and drawing six walks.
For Mountain Island, Liam Berger led the way with two RBIs, and Thomas, Hart, and Berger each tallied a hit.
Hayesville now moves on to the third round of the playoffs with some serious momentum, as they will face Cherryville on the road this Tuesday.