If Silverdale Baptist Academy was expecting to win a one-sided pummeling Monday afternoon, the Seahawks managed to survive a surprise.
Silverdale had scored a football-like 21-0 win over Marion County during the season but was hard-pressed to advance to Wednesday's Region 3-A baseball championship game with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Warriors.
"That certainly doesn't look like the team we played earlier this year," SBA coach Gray Ange said. "That's a good ball club."
His Seahawks (20-5) scored two runs in each of the first two innings and made them stand up, assuring themselves of hosting the region final.
In the first, Alex Gonzalez reached on an error, one of three the Warriors would commit, then trotted home ahead of Blake Howard, who unloaded a home run to straightaway center field.
Winning pitcher Dylan Bryant walked and came around to score in the second on Tyler Mossburg's grounder to shortstop. Colin Lovell, who followed Bryant's walk with a one-out single, then scored on an error.
Marion's first run came on singles from Hunter McClain and Jace Barton and back-to-back walks to Logan Beene and Reese Barton.
Those were the only two walks Bryant issued in a six-hit pitching performance.
"I had pretty good stuff but it wasn't my best. I just had to find the zone and pound it," he said. "I try to stay calm and go after the batters. The defense is always behind me, doing their job."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.