NEWPORT—After giving up a three-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, Cocke County loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the frame and then got a two-out, walk-off hit from Chloe Niethammer to slip past Clinton, 6-5, in the opening round of the Region 2-3A Tournament Monday afternoon.

The win puts the Lady Red in Wednesday night’s championship game as they host 12-time state champion Knox Gibbs at 6 p.m. It also gives Coach Danny Hartsell’s club a spot in Friday’s sectional, where a win would give them their first-ever state tournament berth.

Gibbs blasted Seymour, 11- 0, in Monday’s other first-round game.

Niethammer’s booming bat gave the home team a 2-0 lead after four innings before the Dragons, who finished the season with a 21-17 record, rallied to tie with single runs in the fifth and sixth.

But the Lady Red got a huge two-run double from freshman Jaylee Lane as they scored three in their half of the sixth to regain the upper hand.

However, the Dragons got runners on with a walk and an error and Mandy Chambers clouted a home run to left field to tie the game at 5-5.

Not to be outdone, Cocke County, now 33-7, got singles from C.G. Mc-Nealy, Meridith Grooms and Elle Proffitt to load the bases. Losing pitcher McKenna Gavin got a strikeout and pop out to second to bring Niethammer to the plate.

She laced a ball into the outfield gap that would have gone for at least a double and two runs but the game ended when the first runner touched home plate.

Coach Hartsell said after the game, “That team will have nightmares about Chloe with the bat in her hands. What a game she had.

“And what about our little freshman second baseman getting that big two-out double in the sixth inning. How big was that?”

He continued, “We played a hard schedule all season long and games like this one are why we do that. We play the good teams and it prepares us for situations like today.

“My girls did an incredible job to pull this game out. We made a defensive mistake that hurt but we had people come through at the plate when the time came to do that.”

Hartsell went on to say, “This win right here is obviously huge. We get to play for a region championship at home but even more important is that sectional berth.”

Hailee Hartsell came on after Chambers’ home run and got the final two outs to pick up the mound victory. Proffitt was the starter and pitched very well in the first five innings when she struck out 10, She walked two and gave up seven hits.

Gavin was the starter for Clinton but was relieved by Elizabeth Maples at the start of the fifth. She returned to the mound after the first two batters reached in the seventh.

Niethammer had three hits to lead Cocke County’s 10-hit attack. Proffitt and Lane added a double and single apiece.

Norah Elliott was the only Clinton player with more than one safety as she banged out a double and a pair of singles.

With one out in the bottom of the second, Niethammer tripled over the center fielder’s head and scored on Lane’s hit. Lane got down quickly in the count and fouled off four straight pitches before getting the hit that saw the shortstop make a diving stop going toward third but unable to make a play.

Niethammer slugged a long home run in the fourth to make it 2-0.

The Dragons got a pinch-hit double by Addison George to start the fifth and Gavin re-entered to run. Maddisyn Reynolds singled to knock in the run.

Clinton tied it when Elliott had a hit and scored on another safety by McKinley Osborne in the sixth.

Cocke County responded when Proffitt doubled and scored on a hit by Booilyn Strange. Hartsell reached on an error and Niethammer on a fielder’s choice before a strike out.

But Lane came through again as she doubled in two runs to up the count to 5-2.

Gavin walked to start the seventh for Clinton before a ground out to short. A dropped fly ball put two runners aboard before Chambers’ four-bagger tied it and set the stage for the exciting finish.