Red Bank High School Lions topple Central in baseball

Trey Hicks

The Red Bank High School baseball team has found itself.

After a month of floundering — in the throes of a 14-game losing streak — the two-time defending District 6-AA tournament champions have won twice to reach Monday’s winners-bracket final opposite regular-season winner East Hamilton.

The Lions scored five first-inning runs Saturday and made them stand up for a 5-2 victory over Central. East Hamilton earlier beat Hixson 9-2.

Central and Hixson will play a losers-bracket game at 4:30 Monday, before East Hamilton faces tournament host Red Bank at 7.

“It’s how hot you get and when that counts,” Lions coach Trey Hicks said following the win over second-seeded Central, which swept his team 11-5 and 10-2 in the regular season. “The game should always be fun, and you want it to be, but when you lose four straight weeks it really isn’t.”