Sparks flew in the second round of the district baseball tournament as Tiger slugger Skyler Sparks lifted his team to victory with a walk-off hit Monday night, assuring his squad a trip to the semi-finals.

The game stood knotted in the bottom of the seventh when Sparks came to the plate. The pitchers' battle saw Tiger ace John Maynard hurl 119 pitches from the mound, one short of the state’s limit for high school pitchers. He was relieved by Colter Norris in the seventh, with Norris able to hold the lead going into the bottom of the frame. The Upperman Bees, unable to cross the plate in their half of the seventh, rested their hopes on fanning Sparks and leaving Grayson Redmon stranded on base. However, the Bees hopes were dashed as Sparks laced his game winning hit, sending Redmon home for the 2-1 win.

“Those are the kind of games you will remember for a long time,” admitted Tiger Coach Adam Kefauver of the thrilling ending played out in front of the home fans. “It’s fun to play in those games and it’s fun to coach in those games.”

The win sent the Tigers ahead in the winners bracket for a show down with either Cannon County or Watertown Tuesday evening with the winner of that game to advance to the finals of the double-elimination district tournament.

“We’re one step closer but not there yet,” the skipper cautioned, setting his sights on winning the district tournament and getting a high draw in the state regionals.

The Tigers advanced to the second round by blanking York Institute 11-0 in the opening round Friday evening. The game featured a grand slam homerun off the bat of Logan Cornelius.