Auburn Mountainview baseball secures playoff spot in sweep over Thomas Jefferson
Published 2:08 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2026
With nowhere to go, Auburn Mountainview (10-8) needed to win a pair of games against Thomas Jefferson High School (10-9) to snag the fifth and final playoff spot in the 3A NSPL.
In the final series, the Lions won a 14-inning battle, 7-6, followed by a three run comeback to punch their ticket to the district tournament with a 10-4 win.
“We just never give up in big situations. We knew it was win or go home. We knew we had to step it up and show some more fight than we ever had this season,” junior Jay Swanson said.
It took two days, 14 innings, 363 total pitches and two different fields to find a winner in game one of this ever important series. The Lions were down 5-0 after the first two innings, and later walked off the Raiders in the 14th inning after having to continue the game at Thomas Jefferson the following day.
On May 4, the two sides were deadlocked at 6-6 at Auburn Mountainview. The Lions were threatening in the bottom of the 11th, but the game had to be suspended because the lights turned off. The game would resume on May 5, and Logan Eckert stepped to the plate with runners on first and third. Eckert popped out to the catcher and both sides couldn’t score a run until Eckert came back up for his second at-bat in the restart in the 14th inning.
Eckert hit a line drive down the rightfield line and an errant throw allowed Brennen Grames to score, keeping the Lions’ season alive.
It all came down to game two, and following his standout performance in the loss to Kentlake, Jay Swanson seemed like he was the perfect man for the job.
“At the end of the year we got to win games to make the playoffs,” Swanson said.
Swanson didn’t have his “A” stuff on the mound, and Thomas Jefferson blitzed the righthander early on. The Raiders led 4-1 after three innings and were seemingly in control of the Lions’ bats as well.
But in the sixth inning, the Lions had their big inning. A nine-run onslaught gave Auburn Mountainview the lead and the upper hand in the fight with the Raiders for that last playoff spot.
A walk, error and single kicked off the sixth inning. Swanson doubled to cut the lead to one and then the Lions just never stopped. Following the Swanson double, the next eight Lion batters reached base safely, and by the time the second out was recorded, the Lions led, 10-4.
A sparkplug for this offense came from the bottom of it. Camden Grames was 2-for-2 with a run scored and two walks, and he reached base all four times in his first game back at the plate since April 27. “It was cool to see him step it up first game back and help us out,” Swanson said.
He may not be playing, but Jeremiah Weatherford’s impact on this team is immeasurable. He brings an energy and fire from the dugout that is infectious. “He’s been stepping it up in the dugout. He’s been trying to support us as much as he can when we are up to bat. He is just doing everything he can to make himself useful in the dugout,” Swanson said.
Swanson went out and allowed just a pair of singles over the next two innings, sealing the win for Auburn Mountainview.
“That helped me a lot. That gave me way more confidence on the mound, knowing that I got insurance and stuff. I knew I could throw strikes and my defense got me,” Swanson said.
It was a total of 21 innings in two days for the Lions, but now they can prepare for the postseason. The district tournament begins on May 12.
“I’m looking forward to it. We have fought hard for our last six games to get to this point. We are going to get a few players back from injury, which will help us a lot. We have to minimize errors on defense, be solid on the mound and get the bats a little hotter,” Swanson said.
