Staff report

SYLVA — Smokey Mountain collected eight runs on three homers en route to a 9-4 first round state 2A high school baseball playoff victory over Salisbury here Wednesday afternoon.

The Mustangs (15-7), the No. 6 seed in the sub-regional, pounded out 10 hits against Salisbury starter Griffin Myers and reliever Jack Fisher, but the three long balls did most of the damage.

Bryce Junaluska belted a 3-run bomb and added a 2-run blast for Smokey Mountain. Tristen Kenyon added another 3-run homer to put the game of reach of the Hornets.

Salisbury first baseman Chandler Lippard cranked a homer for the Hornets early in the contest.

Fisher relieved Myers and allowed four hits and four runs. Hut Smith came on in the bottom of the sixth inning and retired the Mustangs with a strikeout and two flyouts.

Coach Mike Herndon’s Salisbury squad, the 11th seed in the sub-regional, concludes its season with a 12-11 record.