Landrum baseball won its second game in the state playoffs on Saturday, April 30 against Lewisville to advance to the district championship, but it wasn’t without drama.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Matt Pruitt stood on the mound for Landrum. The Cardinals were up 4-2 and Pruitt was one out from a complete game victory.
In the batter’s box, however, stood Lewisville’s Preston Kirk. Kirk hit a shot over the left center field wall in the second inning. This time the bases were loaded.

“I wasn’t thinking about it,” Pruitt said. “I was just thinking about getting him out.”
He threw two quick pitches by him for strikes. Kirk showed patience and fought Pruitt to a full count. Finally, Pruitt won the battle as Kirk popped up to Kaleb Kuykendall at shortstop to end the game and punch the Cardinals’ ticket to the district championship game with the 5-2 victory.
Did he ever worry at all?
“There was no doubt,” Pruitt said.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Landrum coach Ray McCallister said. “He stepped up and wanted the ball.”
Offensively, the Cardinals chipped away at Lewisville starting pitcher Will Robbins all afternoon. Kuykendall showed patience at the plate, walking three times and getting hit by a pitch. The junior scored two of the Cardinals’ runs.
“My approach was just to go in there and look for something to hit,” he said. “I wanted to make him throw a strike.”
Joseph Corn, Jon Humphries and Thomas Rabatie each drove in a run.
Pruitt got the win after throwing 123 pitches and striking out seven.
For McCallister and the Cardinals who were on the team last year, they got a little revenge. In last year’s playoffs, Lewisville eliminated Landrum en route to a state championship.
“It was a little redemption, but you can’t think about last year,” McCallister said. “We were fortunate enough to come out on top tonight.”
Landrum will host the district championship Wednesday, May 4 at 5 p.m.