Burns trailed East Rutherford by five runs in the third inning, but the Bulldogs rallied to come from behind and win Game 3 of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A western regional championship series, 8-5.

East Rutherford scored the first five runs of the game, putting the pressure on the reigning state champions.

In the top of the first inning, Chase Powell scored on a wild pitch to give East Rutherford a 1-0 lead. Then in the second inning, Elliott Tisdale scored on a bunt by J.D. Toney, giving the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead.

East Rutherford created separation in the top of the third inning. With two outs, Tisdale singled on a line drive to left field, which allowed Colby Condrey to score. Then, Malachi Dato hit a single and scored Kalem Curtis and Tisdale.

The Cavaliers built a 5-0 lead on Burns at the midpoint of the third inning, but that’s when the Bulldogs’ comeback started.

Jackson Toney was walked by East Rutherford, then Hagan Hoyle hit a triple on a fly ball to right field, allowing Toney to score. The very next batter, Ethan Guy, hit another triple, bringing Hoyle home. Guy then scored on the throw.

East Rutherford managed to end the inning with a strikeout, but Burns was within striking distance at 5-3. That score stood until the bottom of the fifth inning.

With the bases loaded and with one out, Camden MacKall was hit by a pitch, which allowed Guy score his second run of the game. Marshall McGowan was also walked, which brought the tying run across the plate from Joshua Taylor.

Burns claimed its first lead of the night when Colby Putnam hit a fly ball to left field. The double from Putnam allowed Gabriel Holiday, MacKall, and McGowan to score. East Rutherford finally ended the inning with a ground out, but Burns had built an 8-5 lead.

The last two chances for East Rutherford didn’t yield many opportunities. The Cavaliers went down in order in the sixth inning and only managed to get one runner on base in the seventh inning thanks to a walk. A fly out caught by MacKall ended the game.

Putnam finished the game with three RBI on two hits for Burns. Guy led the team in runs scored with two. Taylor pitched 4.0 innings for the Bulldogs, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. McGown pitched 3.0 innings, throwing three strikeouts and allowing seven hits with five runs.

Burns will face Greene Central in the 2A state championship series next weekend at either Ting Stadium in Holly Springs or at the Burlington Athletic Stadium. Game 1 of the best-of-three series will be on Friday, with the other two games on Saturday.

Greene Central defeated Whiteville 9-1 in Game 3 of the eastern regional series on Friday night. The Rams won two straight games after losing the opening game of the series to the Wolfpack.

Source: highschoolot.com